College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences

Department of Technology, Design and Technical Education

Federal Gainful Employment Information

Job responsibilities vary based on where you work and live. CNAs often work in a wide variety of settings; nursing homes, hospitals, adult day care centers, personal homes and assisted living facilities all require nursing assistants to act as a helpful liaison between the RN or LPN and the patient. In many cases, CNAs serve as the RN’s or LPN’s eyes and ears, and relay information between patients and nurses.

Nursing assistants fulfill basic quality-of-life needs for patients of any age in residential nursing care facilities. Since nursing assistants have daily contact with patients, they are gatherers of vital information about the patients’ conditions, which they must then transmit to their supervisors. A CNA’s workload can become intense and fast-paced, but the human contact and ability to help those in medical need is a strong motivating factor. A desire to help people and compassion for patients can help a nurse’s assistant get through difficult days.

In accordance with national accreditation guidelines to achieve satisfactory pass rates on national certification exams, admission to the CNA program requires a 3.0 GPA. Students must maintain a 2.67 throughout the CNA program.