Guides on bridge programs, state exams, salary, burnout, and everything else we get asked about. Written by our recruiters, edited to sound like a conversation.
What the job actually feels like, how certification works in your state (75 to 180 hours of training, $500 to $2,000 depending on program), what’s on the exam, and the money. Median CNA pay is $39,530, about $19 an hour. Written for someone thinking about the field, not someone already three years in.
Read the full guide“We write these the way we’d answer a nurse who called us during her break. A person wrote the guide you’re about to read.”
Median wages and 10th-to-90th percentile ranges from BLS OES May 2024. These are what nurses in each state earn today, not the inflated “up to” numbers on agency flyers. Pay at any specific role is set by the facility.
75–180 training hours. Two-part exam. Most CNAs start in skilled nursing or assisted living. The best place to build clinical reps and learn what nursing actually feels like day to day.
One to two years of nursing school, NCLEX-PN. Scope covers medication administration, wound care, patient assessments. The rung where most long-term-care career nurses spend years. And many stay, happily.
ADN (2 yr) or BSN (4 yr) followed by NCLEX-RN. Full scope of nursing practice, plus supervisory and charge-nurse roles. This is where you get the most say in your own schedule, pay, and where you work.
A recruiter on our team will read it, check the openings we have right now, and call you if something lines up. Your resume stays with us until you say otherwise.