CNA Career Paths

Being a CNA is a rewarding healthcare position with a wide range of job opportunities. Variety comes in the form of work setting — you can choose from nursing home to rehabilitation facility to hospital to assisted living facility — as well as patient population — geriatric, pediatric, and others.

In addition, there are a number of paths to advancement, depending on your career goals.

This page explains:

The differences between CNAs, LPNs, and RNs
How you can advance your nursing career
The advantages of each nursing pathway
Career options in related fields

Advancing Your Career

While some CNAs will stay in the role for many years, others may consider the position of CNA to be a stepping stone to another career. These CNAs may move on to become licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered nurses (RNs), or healthcare specialists in related fields.

What Are the Differences Between a CNA, an LPN, and an RN?

While there are many similarities among these careers — with patient care being the main focus — there are a number of differences. It is important that you understand each career as you consider your options.

The following table summarizes the important distinctions between CNAs, LPNs, and RNs.

	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)	Registered Nurse (RN)
Job Description	CNAs provide basic bedside care to patients in nursing homes, residential healthcare facilities, and hospitals. Note that while CNAs work with nurses and perform many tasks that nurses do, CNAs are not actually nurses.	LPNs work under the supervision of an (RN) to provide basic medical care, administer medications, and perform routine diagnostic tests. LPNs are nurses.	RNs work alongside physicians to assist in a variety of medical procedures. During their training, RNs can focus on a medical specialty such as geriatric, pediatric, neonatal, surgical, or emergency care. RNs are nurses.
Educational Requirements	High school diploma or GED and CNA training certificate	High school diploma or GED and LPN training certificate or diploma	Associate degree in nursing (ADN) or bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Note that a BSN degree may eventually be a requirement for RNs. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report recommending that 80% of practicing nurses should have a bachelor’s degree by 2020.
Typical Length of Program	4 to 10 weeks	1 year	2 to 4 years
Career Outlook	Growth of 11% expected from 2016 to 2026	Growth of 12% expected from 2016 to 2026	Growth of 15% expected from 2016 to 2026
Median Salary	$28,540 per year	$46,240 per year	$71,730 per year
Licensing	Pass the state competency exam	Pass the NCLEX-PN exam	Pass the NCLEX-RN exam
Duties and Responsibilities	Help patients with personal hygiene Take vital signs Observe and chart patients Maintain a sterile and neat environment For more detailed CNA responsibilities and duties, refer to our What Is a CNA? page	Help patients with personal hygiene Take vital signs Observe and chart patients Maintain a sterile and neat environment Administer medications Start intravenous fluids Assist with tests and procedures Consult with RNs on care plans	Observe and chart patients Take vital signs Administer medications through IVs Perform diagnostic tests Supervise less skilled licensed or certified nurses Prepare patients for examination and treatment Operate medical monitoring equipment Provide emotional support and education to patient and families

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Job Description	CNAs provide basic bedside care to patients in nursing homes, residential healthcare facilities, and hospitals. Note that while CNAs work with nurses and perform many tasks that nurses do, CNAs are not actually nurses.
Educational Requirements	High school diploma or GED and CNA training certificate
Typical Length of Program	4 to 10 weeks
Career Outlook	Growth of 11% expected from 2016 to 2026
Median Salary	$28,540 per year
Licensing	Pass the state competency exam
Duties and Responsibilities	Help patients with personal hygiene Take vital signs Observe and chart patients Maintain a sterile and neat environment For more detailed CNA responsibilities and duties, refer to our What Is a CNA? page

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Job Description	LPNs work under the supervision of an (RN) to provide basic medical care, administer medications, and perform routine diagnostic tests. LPNs are nurses.
Educational Requirements	High school diploma or GED and LPN training certificate or diploma
Typical Length of Program	1 year
Career Outlook	Growth of 12% expected from 2016 to 2026
Median Salary	$46,240 per year
Licensing	Pass the NCLEX-PN exam
Duties and Responsibilities	Help patients with personal hygiene Take vital signs Observe and chart patients Maintain a sterile and neat environment Administer medications Start intravenous fluids Assist with tests and procedures Consult with RNs on care plans

Registered Nurse (RN)
Job Description	RNs work alongside physicians to assist in a variety of medical procedures. During their training, RNs can focus on a medical specialty such as geriatric, pediatric, neonatal, surgical, or emergency care. RNs are nurses.
Educational Requirements	Associate degree in nursing (ADN) or bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Note that a BSN degree may eventually be a requirement for RNs. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report recommending that 80% of practicing nurses should have a bachelor’s degree by 2020.
Typical Length of Program	2 to 4 years
Career Outlook	Growth of 15% expected from 2016 to 2026
Median Salary	$71,730 per year
Licensing	Pass the NCLEX-RN exam
Duties and Responsibilities	Observe and chart patients Take vital signs Administer medications through IVs Perform diagnostic tests Supervise less skilled licensed or certified nurses Prepare patients for examination and treatment Operate medical monitoring equipment Provide emotional support and education to patient and families

Advantages of Each Career

With each type of career comes specific advantages and benefits. While some of these involve factors such as salary, the advantages go beyond the numbers.

CNAs:

CNA can enter the field quickly, sometimes in as little as 4 weeks.
Costs of becoming a CNA are low, and some programs are even fully subsidized.
The training gives you a taste of what a career in healthcare will be like, but with little time investment.
Because you assist your patients with daily activities, as well as other needs, you develop a close relationship with your patients.

If you are ready to start your healthcare career as a CNA, be sure to learn more about whether Premier Nursing Academy can help:

LPNs:

LPNs can also enter the field relatively quickly, usually in 1 year.
Once you are an LPN, there are fast-track programs to becoming an RN if you decide to advance your career.
LPNs may have slightly more advanced duties than CNAs and generally require less supervision.
LPNs can earn significantly more than CNAs.
LPNs also generally develop close relationships with their patients.
LPNs are actually nurses.

RNs:

RNs have the option of specializing during their training.
RNs work under the supervision of doctors and perform more advanced procedures.
RNs are in tremendous demand.
RNs command the highest salaries of these three nursing-related jobs.
RNs have more job opportunities after graduating. They might work in the integrated healthcare industry, clinics or offices (as a clinical nurse), public health, or as a legal nurse consultant.
RNs work more closely with physicians and have a deeper level of understanding of nursing and healthcare.

CNA Related Careers

In addition to climbing the nursing career ladder, CNAs can transition into related, specialty careers. In some cases, additional training will be required. Here are some options.

Qualified medication aide (QMA): A QMA provides patients with their daily routine medications — both prescription and non-prescription — at the indicated dosage and the scheduled time. QMAs start out as CNAs; they need to complete a specified number of hours working as a CNA before they can apply to a QMA training program, which consists of approximately 100 hours. The median salary for a QMA is $32,906. Job growth projections are similar to those of CNAs at between 10% and 14%.

Certified medical assistant (CMA): CMAs generally work in physicians’ offices in both administrative and clinical capacities. They record patient information, take patients’ vital signs, and prepare patients for the exam. They may process payments, organize patient files, and confirm insurance coverage. The need for CMAs has exploded, with the field expected to grow by a whopping 29% from 2016 to 2016. The median salary of a CMA is $33,610.

Emergency medical technician (EMT): EMTs, also called paramedics, respond to emergency situations to care for, stabilize, and transport injured and ill patients. This career also has a much higher-than-average career outlook — the BLS projects 15% from 2016 to 2026. The median salary of an EMT is $33,610.

Home health aide: Home health aides, also called personal health aides, work with patients in their homes. Job responsibilities tend to be more varied than those of CNAs. In addition to assisting patients with their daily activities, home health aides may prepare meals, move the patient from one room to the next, and assist with domestic tasks such as laundry and pet care. This field is one of the fastest growing in nursing, with a projected growth of 41% from 2016 to 2026. Median salary is $24,060.

Medical billing and coding technician: If you are more interested in the business end of healthcare, this might be an ideal career for you. Medical billers and coders work in physicians’ offices to code patients’ medical records in preparation for billing insurance companies. The growth of this field is faster than average, at 13%; median salary is $40,350.

Physical therapy assistant: Physical therapy assistants work alongside physical therapists to help patients with physical injuries regain their strength and perform regular physical activities. Job growth for this career is projected to be 30% from 2016 to 2026; median salary is $48,090.