Arizona CNA Salary - How Much Do CNAs Make in AZ?

CNA salary in Arizona

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is often considered to be the backbone of the health care industry. This is because it is the CNA who has the most contact with patients and who is the most likely to notice any changes that need to be brought to the attention of the nurse or doctor. CNAs are also the ones who provide emotional support to patients and who have the most dealings with families. Many CNAs feel that those they care for are extended members of their family. This challenging job is a rewarding one and the CNA salary in Arizona reflects the importance of a CNA.

In the United States, the average wage for a CNA ranges from around $18,000 to around $32,000 a year with an average hourly wage of $12.24. The CNA salary in Arizona ranges from about $21,000 for a CNA who has just been certified and is just starting out to around $29,000 for an experienced CNA. There is not a lot of training involved in becoming a CNA, which is partly why so many people choose to become CNAs as a way of entering the healthcare field. While where you received your training may not be important to an employer, the experience that you have had will be.

Experience is a deciding factor for a CNA salary in Arizona. All CNA training programs, whether held through a hospital or nursing home or done by a school, require hands-on experience for certification. This experience usually includes skills such as calming patients, transferring patients, and taking blood pressures. Classroom experience is not enough and most certification programs require actual experience with patients before someone can be certified. It is important to remember that the longer you have worked as a CNA the more experience you will be considered to have. This will increase your pay rate and make you a more valuable employee.

The area that you choose to work in will also play a role in a CNA salary in Arizona. CNAs in rural communities are rarely paid as well as CNAs who work in cities, for example. Depending on what you want to do, you could work for a nursing home caring for the elderly, a hospital, or even for the federal government in a setting such as a public health clinic. Typically, pay is lowest in nursing home settings and highest if working through the government.