Who do you want to work for?
To find potential employers in your area, don’t just
check the Help Wanted ads, especially if you want to work for a
facility or agency. The place that would be best for you might not
be hiring when you happen to be looking, but if you went there and
talked to the person in charge of hiring, they might let you know
when a job opened up. Besides, the facilities and agencies that
advertise the most are usually the ones with the highest turnover,
indicating that they’re not the best places to work.
If
you’re interested in working directly for a consumer, Help Wanted
ads are a good place to start. If there’s an independent
living center in your region, see if someone there
can help you find people in need of assistance. You might also want to
contact the public authority if you live in one of the states – currently
California, Washington, Oregon, and Michigan – that has one.
Once
you’ve figured out who the candidates are, you need to find out
whether you’d want to work for them. If you or someone you know
knows anyone who works for the organization or individual or who recently
left the job, ask if you can talk to them about what it’s like
to work there. Compare the wages and benefits to what other local employers
are paying for the same kind of work.
Is there a union? If so,
are the CNAs generally happy with it? Unions often win improvements in
wages, benefits, job security, and/or working conditions for CNAs, but
members must pay monthly dues.
Find
out what kind of initial training the employer offers, if any, and what
opportunities there might be for continuing education. Look for peer
mentoring or career ladder programs, which demonstrate an employer’s commitment to employee development
and advancement. If you are considering working at a nursing home or
other facility, find out how many residents each nursing assistant generally
assists. If you are considering home care, find out how many hours of
work people usually get per week and whether it would be difficult for
you to work as many hours as you’d like to. Also ask if workers
are paid for the time they spend traveling between jobs. And if the employer
you’re talking to seems to be constantly hiring new direct-care
workers, try to find out what’s behind the high turnover rate.
There may be a good explanation, but it may also be a sign of trouble
and an indication that the staff on duty is “working short” and
low in morale.
How
do I get the training I need?
What kind of training you'll be required to have – if any
– will depend on the kind of work you choose to do. For
instance, the federal government doesn't require any training
or personal assistance workers or direct support professionals,
but many states do, and employers may have their own training
requirements. The federal government does have training requirements
for all nursing assistants and home health aides who work for
organizations that get funding from Medicare or Medicaid, as nearly
all nursing homes and most home health agencies do. The federal
government requires at least 75 hours of classes and hands-on
practice covering specific topics. In addition, some states require
additional hours of training or cover additional content.
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