Facts about CNA Shortage

Shift in employment trends, wages that are induced by recession as well as a cut down in employment benefits are some of the reasons why there is a shortage of healthcare or medical professionals on a global level. There is a great demand for CNAs, but unfortunately there is a shortage in supply. Here are some facts about CNA shortage.

CNAs are responsible for taking care of the sick patients in hospitals, clinics, rehab facilities as well as in other healthcare settings. They have to help the patients do their daily tasks such as feeding, bathing, dressing and moving them. They can also administer basic medicines. CNAs need to be passionate towards the work that they do and be willing to provide all the required care and support to the patients. These professionals are very crucial in the healthcare industry but sadly there is CNA shortage.

Facts about CNA Shortage 

There are various healthcare professionals who are from various other countries. Certain reports reveal the fact about CNA shortage stating that this shortage will be more in the near future as the aging population increases and the younger ones get busier with their routine having no time for the elderly people. The number of patients in on the rise, but the healthcare professionals are not enough to take care of all these patients. There is great CNA shortage in nursing homes as well as in hospitals across many regions.

The job posts for CNAs remain vacant despite many CNAs complete their certifications from the graduate schools. There are many candidates who get trained for the nursing profession but do not wish to continue working in the same field. Many candidates enroll for the CNA programs but not all of them start their practice in hospitals and clinics as CNAs.

CNAs may get trained in the CNA schools but it is not necessary that all of them satisfy the criteria to get the desired job. The CNAs need to develop all the essential clinical skills to secure a good healthcare job. Many hospitals and clinics have specific job requirements that may not be met by all the CNAs.

Solving CNA Shortage Problems 

There is a great need to solve the CNA shortage problem. There is a great disparity between the demand and supply of healthcare professionals which needs to be taken care of. Various healthcare institutes as well as other employers are taking necessary steps to ensure that more and more individuals enroll for CNA programs and become CNAs. Some other ways of solving the CNA shortage problem are as follows:

Better compensation: Rise in the wages and provision of additional and attractive employment benefits is a great way to attract CNAs. The job of CNAs is not easy and takes a lot of hard work. Employers need to ensure that all these efforts by the CNAs are well compensated and that they get a lot of good employment benefits. This ensures that the CNAs will be happy and work and will continue working.

Better training options: The CNA training and certification is an important aspect to ensure that the CNAs have a stable career ahead of them in the nursing field. The training should be conducted in a manner that it equips the CNAs with all the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skill set to meet the job demands of the healthcare industry. The CNA training programs should be easily accessible to the candidates and should encourage the candidates to opt in for the CNA career.

CNA shortage can thus be solved in a way by raising wage rates and employment benefits. There is also a need to ensure that the candidates get quality education and helps them fulfill the demands of the job.

What does CNA shortage mean for you 

There is CNA shortage across all the regions of the world and especially in the rural regions. Big cities or metros as well as rural areas are experiencing shortage of CNAs. There are many reasons for this shortage, and one of them is, CNAs don't get paid very well. You will find many situations wherein the nursing aides go on a strike to demand higher wages.

CNA shortage will help you in filling a niche and getting a job. You can check in hospitals, clinics, rehab facilities and other healthcare settings which require CNAs but there are not enough qualified CNAs whom they can hire. You can take advantage of this situation and send in your job application to such healthcare facilities. Even if there is no shortage of CNAs in certain nursing homes or healthcare facilities, you can always hope that they will need more CNAs sooner or later, and you can always volunteer for a suitable position as and when the need arises in these healthcare facilities.

Landing a healthcare job becomes easy when there is shortage of healthcare professionals. However, you need to check if you possess all the knowledge and skills required to get hired for the CNA job. You can always get more details on employment opportunities from the health department of your state and grab suitable job opportunities.