LNAs provide direct patient care under nurse supervision — vitals, personal care, transport, and the hands-on work of patient support.
Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) pay typically runs $36K–$46K at this level, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 2% through 2034.
Workdays involve rotating between patients for vitals, personal care, and assistance with daily living. The pace tends to be steady with bursts of intensity, and the setting (acute hospital, long-term care, home health) shapes the rhythm in important ways.
Collaboration involves nurses, doctors, patients, and families. What's harder than expected is the physical and emotional demands — care work is hard on the body, and being present for hard moments takes resources that the licensure exam doesn't test for.
Those who thrive tend to be patient, physically capable, and good with people. If you find satisfaction in hands-on patient care, the role often feels meaningful. People who can't sustain the physical demands long-term, or who can't protect themselves from the emotional weight of care work, usually find LNA work harder than the routine portion suggests — the cumulative wear is real.
Your job belongs to your employer.
Your career belongs to you.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Turn your career record
into a springboard for growth.
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 →LNAs provide direct patient care under nurse supervision — vitals, personal care, transport, and the hands-on work of patient support.
Median pay for a Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) 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, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Monitoring, and Speaking.
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, Clinical Assistant, and Hospital Attendant.
Do one small thing to grow in your career this week. Pick one of these; each comes with the words to use.
More career advice
We believe careers grow through small steps taken often, more than big leaps. So we’ve collected hundreds of them for you to try.
Browse career adviceTurn your career record
into a springboard for growth.