Nursing Assistants
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
- O*NET-SOC code
31-1131.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$42,260
Employment, U.S.1,448,910
Median hourly wage$20.32
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $33,940 | $37,260 | $42,260 | $47,220 | $51,980 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25,250 | $34,140 | 1.28 |
| Alaska | 2,060 | $46,370 | 0.68 |
| Arizona | 20,320 | $44,780 | 0.67 |
| Arkansas | 17,260 | $34,430 | 1.42 |
| California | 110,060 | $47,630 | 0.65 |
| Colorado | 22,240 | $47,380 | 0.83 |
| Connecticut | 21,380 | $44,790 | 1.35 |
| Delaware | 5,530 | $42,030 | 1.22 |
| District of Columbia | 3,490 | $47,700 | 0.53 |
| Florida | 96,960 | $37,510 | 1.05 |
| Georgia | 43,440 | $37,680 | 0.95 |
| Hawaii | 5,050 | $45,350 | 0.86 |
| Idaho | 7,910 | $38,650 | 0.99 |
| Illinois | 68,640 | $45,960 | 1.21 |
| Indiana | 33,640 | $38,330 | 1.13 |
| Iowa | 22,670 | $39,350 | 1.56 |
| Kansas | 24,610 | $38,010 | 1.84 |
| Kentucky | 23,410 | $38,370 | 1.26 |
| Louisiana | 20,690 | $30,510 | 1.15 |
| Maine | 8,540 | $47,070 | 1.43 |
| Maryland | 27,720 | $43,240 | 1.08 |
| Massachusetts | 38,130 | $46,680 | 1.13 |
| Michigan | 43,290 | $39,570 | 1.05 |
| Minnesota | 29,120 | $46,680 | 1.06 |
| Mississippi | 14,200 | $31,520 | 1.31 |
| Missouri | 34,050 | $37,680 | 1.24 |
| Montana | 4,390 | $40,900 | 0.92 |
| Nebraska | 16,450 | $40,000 | 1.72 |
| Nevada | 8,100 | $45,490 | 0.56 |
| New Hampshire | 7,810 | $47,870 | 1.23 |
| New Jersey | 32,400 | $46,830 | 0.81 |
| New Mexico | 4,750 | $39,390 | 0.59 |
| New York | 87,990 | $48,590 | 0.97 |
| North Carolina | 64,010 | $38,460 | 1.39 |
| North Dakota | 6,840 | $45,820 | 1.71 |
| Ohio | 63,280 | $39,010 | 1.22 |
| Oklahoma | 19,410 | $35,930 | 1.22 |
| Oregon | 14,800 | $49,830 | 0.81 |
| Pennsylvania | 67,740 | $44,590 | 1.20 |
| Rhode Island | 10,220 | $46,440 | 2.19 |
| South Carolina | 21,760 | $37,220 | 1.01 |
| South Dakota | 6,860 | $38,800 | 1.61 |
| Tennessee | 27,040 | $37,990 | 0.89 |
| Texas | 88,680 | $37,500 | 0.68 |
| Utah | 12,260 | $39,840 | 0.76 |
| Vermont | 3,030 | $47,130 | 1.07 |
| Virginia | 40,580 | $43,200 | 1.06 |
| Washington | 30,270 | $49,180 | 0.91 |
| West Virginia | 9,390 | $36,720 | 1.44 |
| Wisconsin | 28,370 | $45,130 | 1.04 |
| Wyoming | 2,830 | $39,160 | 1.08 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Animal Caretakers | 1-2 | 0.965 |
| 2 | Home Health Aides | 1-2 | 0.960 |
| 3 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 3 | 0.958 |
| 4 | Physical Therapist Aides | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 5 | Personal Care Aides | 1-2 | 0.955 |
| 6 | Food Servers, Nonrestaurant | 1-2 | 0.954 |
| 7 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 3 | 0.952 |
| 8 | Flight Attendants | 1-2 | 0.951 |
| 9 | Occupational Therapy Aides | 3 | 0.951 |
| 10 | Psychiatric Aides | 1-2 | 0.950 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Nursing Assistants, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Attendants | Persuasion | 1.13 | 0.951 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | Learning Strategies | 0.88 | 0.951 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | Learning Strategies | 0.88 | 0.945 |
| Animal Trainers | Learning Strategies | 1.76 | 0.942 |
| Bartenders | Persuasion | 1.25 | 0.942 |
| Childcare Workers | Learning Strategies | 1.00 | 0.942 |
| Phlebotomists | Learning Strategies | 1.00 | 0.934 |
| Embalmers | Time Management | 0.87 | 0.930 |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | Operation and Control | 2.00 | 0.930 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Nursing Assistants, excluding software Nursing Assistants already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling software | 8 of 20 | 5.3x |
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | 5 of 20 | 4.8x |
| Microsoft Windows | 9 of 20 | 1.7x |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | 3 of 20 | 4.3x |
| 5 of 20 | 1.7x | |
| Microsoft Exchange | 3 of 20 | 2.3x |
| FileMaker Pro | 3 of 20 | 1.5x |
| Database software | 4 of 20 | 1.1x |
| Email software | 5 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Microsoft Access | 7 of 20 | 0.9x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.25 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.25 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.92 | 4.43 |
| Administration and Management | 3.34 | 2.82 |
| English Language | 3.27 | 3.03 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.16 | 2.96 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.15 | 2.52 |
| Education and Training | 3.10 | 3.38 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 3.02 | 2.93 |
| Psychology | 2.95 | 3.51 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.73 | 2.79 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.66 | 2.23 |
| Administrative | 2.61 | 2.29 |
| Law and Government | 2.41 | 2.12 |
| Transportation | 2.40 | 1.94 |
| Mathematics | 2.36 | 1.95 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.30 | 1.90 |
| Mechanical | 2.25 | 1.84 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.24 | 2.23 |
| Telecommunications | 2.22 | 1.47 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.20 | 2.21 |
| Production and Processing | 2.20 | 1.76 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.17 | 1.62 |
| Foreign Language | 2.16 | 1.76 |
| Communications and Media | 2.09 | 1.60 |
| Food Production | 2.07 | 1.74 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.95 | 1.56 |
| Chemistry | 1.90 | 1.51 |
| Biology | 1.88 | 1.68 |
| Design | 1.83 | 1.35 |
| Physics | 1.78 | 1.42 |
| Building and Construction | 1.68 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.65 | 1.13 |
| Fine Arts | 1.62 | 0.84 |
| Geography | 1.56 | 1.04 |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 3.00 |
| Oral Expression | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 3.12 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.50 | 3.00 |
| Static Strength | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Stamina | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Far Vision | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Time Sharing | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Memorization | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Control Precision | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Response Orientation | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Originality | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Visualization | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.25 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.12 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Apache Spark hot
- Epic Systems hot
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Billing software
- FaceTime
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- Health information database software
- Medical condition coding software
- Medical procedure coding software
- Medical record charting software
- PointClickCare healthcare software
- Telemetry software
- Web browser software
- YouTube
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homosassa Springs, FL | 850 | 2.56 | $34,510 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 950 | 2.38 | $36,930 |
| Greenville, NC | 1,730 | 2.30 | $39,480 |
| Hot Springs, AR | 810 | 2.25 | $29,940 |
| Kankakee, IL | 860 | 2.18 | $37,900 |
| Bismarck, ND | 1,430 | 2.15 | $46,720 |
| Rome, GA | 890 | 2.12 | $37,220 |
| Topeka, KS | 2,270 | 2.10 | $38,720 |
| Morgantown, WV | 1,310 | 2.09 | $35,880 |
| Sebring, FL | 540 | 2.06 | $35,650 |