How to Hire Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA)

Even though the coronavirus epidemic is still ongoing, it has altered the landscape of entire businesses, none more so than the healthcare industry. According to a new study on nursing care tells that worldwide nursing marketing will have compound annual growth of 4.9 percent in the next few years, even though the economy is slowing down slightly.

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are among the most in-demand positions in the healthcare industry, as they offer the majority of the hands-on care to patients, including moving them in bed, monitoring vital signs, feeding, cleaning, and other tasks. CNAs are in high demand in hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities of various types, especially as the population of the United States continues to age.

Read More: 4 Reasons to Get Into the Health and Wellness Industry Right Now

In order to hire CNAs in an efficient manner, these institutions must consider the following factors:

Understand the current situation.

While certified nursing assistants (CNAs) have always been in great demand, the ongoing health crisis has increased demand even further in recent months. Indeed.com alone has over 40,000 job postings for “nurse assistant” in the category of healthcare. CNA hiring managers who are trying to boost their CNA headcount should be aware of the competitive nature of the industry, which will continue for many months, if not years, to come.

An annual wage of $29,580 was reported by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2018, with a range of roughly $8000 greater for places such as New York and California, where there is the greatest demand. This equated to an hourly pay ranging from approximately $13.72 (median) to $19 on the higher end of the scale. However, in light of COVID-19, it is expected that the average wage of CNAs will rise.

Hospitals and care institutions are charging as much as $25/hour for their services, according to our research. A large part of this might be ascribed to the fact that many localities, such as Buffalo, New York, provide hazard compensation. Due to the competitive nature of the business, others are giving signing incentives of up to $5000.

Having this information at your disposal can be extremely beneficial during the hiring process.

Sell yourself

While hourly rates and compensation are always important variables in determining whether or not a CNA will choose to work at your facility, there are additional measures to ensure that your facility is competitive. When you’re writing your job description, it’s critical to emphasize the perks and strengths you have to offer. In this seller’s market, you must entice buyers with your listings in order to sell your home.

The location of a property can be a significant selling element. Is your facility easily accessible by public transit or within walking distance of a large number of residential areas? Is it in a handy location in town, close to other stores and restaurants? These are characteristics that can be mentioned in your job description.

It is possible that the reputation of your hospital or care facility is more significant than offering the greatest wages on a regular basis. CNAs, like any other type of employee, want to know that the institution with which they are affiliated is well-regarded and has a track record of providing high-quality care and service to the community.

Upward mobility is another perk that employers can provide to prospective employees. If you are willing to train and assist with the certification of unlicensed nurses and recent grads, or if you are willing to provide cheap or free continuing education, be sure to highlight these perks in your offer as well. Upward mobility is certainly a major aspect in attracting and retaining the best nurses, as a lack of opportunities for advancement is a significant source of turnover in the healthcare profession.

Read More: 10 Tips to Stay Healthy During the COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation

Write and post your job listing

There are numerous examples of CNA listings that can be found on the internet. While the job tasks and qualifications are rather basic, it is important to note that the ability to market yourself in this competitive climate will help you attract more qualified applications. This is the section that prospective employees will be looking for the most when they browse through a plethora of job descriptions: What can you provide them that makes your facility stand out from the competition is what they are looking for.

Once you’ve completed your job description, put it on all of the major job boards, such as Indeed and Monster. However, you should also post to some of the several nursing-specific job forums, such as:

• connectRN.com
• nursingjobs.com
• careervitals.com
• nurserecruiter.com
• nursingjobcafe.com

The process of posting, tracking, managing, and screening applicants from all of the different job posting sites can be tedious and time-consuming. Having a single automated platform that posts to and tracks multiple sites can help smaller hiring teams (often consisting of only one or two people) relieve the bottleneck and accept a greater number of applicants.

Hire your CNA after conducting an interview

With the coronavirus causing persistent social isolation, ensure sure your interviewing and eventual onboarding processes are in place before you begin. The use of video interviews and mobile training are now normal operating procedures for many healthcare facilities in order to assist prevent any unwanted transmission of infection. When conducting interviews in elderly care facilities, it is preferable not to bring in interviewees in person when video conferencing can be used instead.

During this time period, text message connections to training materials and videos are also becoming increasingly accepted and popular among employees. Texting is also a good option for today’s young CNAs, who have traditionally relied more on their mobile devices than their laptops for work. With the correct hiring technology, mobile messaging and video training can be integrated in a short period of time.