California Nursing Schools, Programs and Degrees

Nurse Aide Employment

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides hold over two million jobs. Nursing aides hold the most jobs - approximately one and a half million. Home health aides hold over 600,000 jobs and psychiatric aides hold about 60,000 jobs. Most nursing aides work in nursing care facilities and hospitals. Hourly earnings of nursing aides are on average $10 but in some parts of California they may be higher than $15 depending on experience.

Nurse aides spend many hours each day standing and walking and they often deal with heavy workloads. Because they are usually required to move patients in and out of bed or help them stand or walk, nurse aides must guard against back injury. Nurse aides may also face hazards from infections and diseases, but following proper procedures can minimize the risk. Most full-time nurse aides work about 40 hours a week but some nurse aides may be required to work evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. A large number of nurse aides work part time.

Nurse aides in hospitals usually receive at least one week's paid vacation after the first year of service. Extra pay for late-shift work, paid holidays and sick leave, hospital and medical benefits as well as pension plans are available to many hospital and some nursing care facility employees. Nurse aides often have unpleasant duties such as emptying bedpans and changing soiled bed linens and the patients they care for may be uncooperative, disoriented or irritable. Many nurse aides gain satisfaction from assisting those in need but their work can be emotionally demanding.

Most home health aides are employed by home health care services. Some home health aides are employed in nursing and residential care facilities and social assistance agencies. Home health aides may go to the same patient's home for months or even years but most home health aides work with a number of different patients, each job lasting a few hours, days, or weeks. Home health aides often visit many patients on the same day and generally work alone, with periodic visits by their supervisor.

Home health aides are given detailed instructions explaining when to visit patients and what services to perform. Most employers hire only on-call hourly health aides and provide no benefits. Most home health aides are employed by home healthcare services while the rest are employed in social assistance agencies, nursing and residential care facilities or employment services.

Home health aides receive small pay increases with experience and added responsibility. Usually, they are paid only for the time worked in the home. Most home health aides are not paid for travel time between jobs. Home health aides are individually responsible for getting to patients' homes, and therefore may spend a good part of the working day traveling from one patient to another. Because mechanical lifting devices available in hospitals or other institutional settings are rarely available in patients' homes, home health aides are very susceptible to back injuries when they assist patients.

More than fifty percent of all psychiatric aides work in hospitals, primarily in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals while some also work in the psychiatric units of general medical and surgical hospitals. Psychiatric aides must also be prepared to care for patients whose illness may cause violent behavior. Roughly half of all psychiatric aides work in hospitals, mostly in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, although some also work in the psychiatric units of general medical and surgical hospitals. Some psychiatric aides are employed in state government agencies, residential mental retardation, mental health, substance abuse and outpatient care centers and nursing care facilities.