A Geriatric Nursing Assistant delivers daily personal care to older adults in nursing homes, assisted living, or rehab — bathing, transfers, feeding, and the steady observation that catches small clinical changes early.
Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA) pay typically runs $36K–$46K at this level, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 2% through 2034.
A shift tends to revolve around a defined assignment of residents whose needs and preferences you come to know in detail. Care rounds, vitals, meal assistance, repositioning, and toileting fill most hours, with documentation tucked into the gaps.
The work tends to be physically demanding and emotionally intimate in ways that surprise people. You build real bonds with residents, which means losses hit harder. Coordinating with nurses, therapy staff, dietary, and family members is constant, and you're often the first to flag clinical changes that matter.
People who tend to thrive bring physical durability, emotional patience, and genuine respect for older adults. If chronic short-staffing, the cumulative weight of decline, or pay that doesn't match the demands would erode you, sustaining this role gets hard over time.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Still figuring out what you want to become
when you grow up?
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Healthcare roles →A Geriatric Nursing Assistant delivers daily personal care to older adults in nursing homes, assisted living, or rehab — bathing, transfers, feeding, and the steady observation that catches small clinical changes early.
Median pay for a Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA) is about $40K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $31K to $50K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, and Coordination.
Most people in this role hold a high school diploma.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 2.3% through 2034, with roughly 1.4 million people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Nursing Director, Senior Nurse Technician, and Senior Nursing Technician.
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