How to hire CNA in the USA: A comprehensive guide

The certified nursing assistants are so important in the health sector. They take care of patients and assist them in their daily chores to make them feel comfortable. However, a health facility may face challenges when recruiting CNAs. This blog will take you through a step-by-step process to hire CNA professionals in the United States.

It would be great to know how CNAs spend their day before elaborating on the recruitment process. They help patients to accomplish the activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They also help them with general medical problems, track the well-being of their patients, and give emotional support, too. As the kind of work they are expected to do is sensitive and attention-demanding, it is important to recruit qualified and empathetic CNAs. If you are planning to hire a CNA, you need to know those roles so that you can find the best fit for your needs.

Steps to hire CNA in the USA 

Step 1: Define your needs

The primary step in hiring a CNA is to define your requirements precisely. This would include the specific job they will be expected to perform, the number of CNAs you are hiring for, work hours, and benefits your healthcare facility will offer for the position (if full-time). The more specific a candidate is about the job role, the more likely they will be interested in applying.

Step 2: Write a job description

A defined and well-written description is important for attracting qualified candidates; the job descriptions must include: 

• Job title
• Duties and responsibilities
• Qualifications
• Skills
• Work hours

Job descriptions play an important role when looking for CNAs; they give a clear picture of the job to job seekers. So, always write clear information about “What are you looking for” while crafting the job description to hire a CNA. 

Step 3: Post the job

Once you are done with the detailed job description to hire a CNA, the next step is to post the job on the various platforms that help you to hire the right and broad candidate for your healthcare facility; the platform includes: 

• Online job boards: Indeed, Monster, Career Builder. ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor are popular job postings for hiring CNAs.
• Healthcare job-specific sites: Healthcare staffing platforms will cater you specifically to healthcare staffing; we offer a streamlined, cost-effective solution for healthcare facilities to hire top healthcare staff, including CNAs, on a contract basis or for head-hunting service for your full-time needs.
• Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter help you to reach potential candidates.
• Local community colleges and CNA programs: Partner with educational institutions that offer CNA training programs.

Step 4: Screen applications

After the job posting, you will start receiving applications for the CNA role. To hire them, always see the application based on the qualifications and skills which is mentioned in the job description. Look for candidates who are relevant to the job description (experience, positive references, and so on). Staffing platforms can guide your healthcare facility in streamlining this process by pre-screening candidates and ensuring they meet the requirements you outline for your healthcare facility.

Step 5: Conducting of interviews

Interviewing is the best way to judge whether a candidate will do well for the job. Here are a few tips one can utilize to conduct an effective interview to hire a CNA:

• Prepare questions: Inquire about prior experience, why they wish to be a CNA, and how they behave when subjected to stressful conditions.
• Soft skills assessment: Watch for their ability to communicate with others, empathize with people, and work with groups.
• Scenario-based questions: Present scenario-based situations and explain what they would do if the scenario were to occur.

Step 6: Verify credentials

Ensure that the candidates possess valid certificates as a CNA. This is achieved by verifying credentials against state registries, and check on any disciplinary actions taken. Hiring companies comply through the automation of credential verification and maintaining of updated records.

Step 7: Background checks

Do comprehensive background checks to keep your patients safe and well. This involves a criminal background check, drug screening, and references check. Most staffing sites offer a one-stop shop in terms of recruitment services and background checks, thereby helping you recruit credible CNAs.

Step 8: Onboarding and training

Once you have selected the right candidates to hire CNAs, the onboarding process begins. This includes:

• On-boarding: They are familiarized with your institution, rules, and procedures
• Training: They get the relevant training for your organization such as safety procedures and the appropriate care of the patients.
• Mentorship: In this step, assign experienced staffs to work alongside new recruits as they gain familiarity with their jobs.

Step 9: Provide a competitive compensation package

To get the CNAs, ensure you provide competitive compensation package. More than competitive compensation packages include provision for benefits such as medical cover, time-off work, and possibilities of upward career movement that would be of an advantage to the employee. According to research in Glassdoor it indicates that CNA USA gets paid at a minimum rate of $41391 per year.

Competitive pay and benefits are not just money but investments in the quality of care that your organization can deliver. It is a win-win for both talent attraction and retention and positive work environment delivery to create a healthy, productive working setting with excellent patient care.

Partner with staffing platform for hassle-free hiring of CNA

If you are having trouble or difficulties in hiring CNAs, then consider a partnership with a staffing platform. They make it easier and allow you to have a pool of candidates who can fit your requirements while saving time and resources. They do all the nitty-gritty work, from vetting candidates to interviews, so you can keep your attention on what counts: quality care. You may also be able to find the ideal candidate right on the spot due to their years of experience. Hiring processes for CNA professionals can go quite easily with a staffing platform.

Leveraging MedSquirrels platform for hiring top CNA talent

MedSquirrels presents the streamlined way of staffing healthcare services, thus, it will be easy to hire a CNA. This can help you focus more on delivering care, as the platform can handle recruitment, credentialing, onboarding, and payroll. Here are the top features of our CNA hiring platform:

• Rapid recruitment: MedSquirrels offers you a pre-screened and quality candidate; you save time and effort as you hire a CNA.
• Quick onboarding: MedSquirrels can be beneficial in quick onboarding by bringing background verification for easy transference of a new employee.
• Credential verification: After placing any candidate, our system is set to ensure the candidate will possess all the necessary certificates and credentials, thus, putting you at ease and entirely into full compliance with all the state regulations.
• Payroll management: Our system makes payroll and compliance with the hired contractors by keeping administrative things simple while the payroll payment of your employees can be prompt with zero risk employer on you.

For a streamlined experience, check out the MedSquirrels Orange Plan: This plan makes CNA hiring processes easier and faster for facilities. The Orange plan covers everything:  attracting top CNA talent, hiring and onboarding them, credentialling, and handling their payroll and benefits for a seamless experience. To hire CNAs, you will only have to pay a flat fee plus the payroll costs of the hired talent.

Click to read – How MedSquirrels is solving staffing problems.

The entire process of hiring CNAs in the USA involves the following steps: definition of needs, job descriptions, posting jobs, application screening, interviewing, checking of credentials, and onboarding. MedSquirrels can assist in streamlining the hiring process, facilitating compliance, and helping focus efforts on quality patient care. To learn more about MedSquirrels, sign up for a demo today.

FAQs.

What licensures and education degrees are necessary for hiring a CNA?

Generally, to become a CNA, one must fulfill the following:

• Must be certified in the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP).
• Finish the approved training program: These may include vocational schools, community colleges, and some hospitals.
• Have updated vaccinations: since CNAs directly work in direct contact with the patients, it is quite essential.

How would hiring a CNA can improve patient outcomes?

The recruitment of a CNA will highly enhance the patients’ outcomes since they will receive personalized and consistent care. CNAs help in offering daily living activities, observation of vital signs, as well as providing emotional support, which allows patients to live a more comfortable life with a feeling of being taken care of.

What will be the average pay that a CNA will gain from a job in the US?

The average pay gained from a job in the USA for a CNA should be around $36,760 per year. This pay will vary depending on numerous factors, such as location, experience, and type of healthcare facility. The entry-level CNAs get an average of $33,520 annually; one gets to give the experiential CNA good compensation ranging from a minimum of $44,192 annually.

What are the benefits of hiring a CNA using your staffing platform?

There are a number of benefits of recruiting CNAs using our staffing platform that are as follows:

Accessibility to an increased variety of candidates: Use of the staffing platforms links you to significant pools of potential candidates.

Saves time: Our platform will take care of the initial screening and vetting, process so that you will not lose time.

Reduces paperwork burden: We will handle all paperwork, scheduling, and compliance.

Flexibility: You can change your requirements of staff anytime considering patients’ loads and other grounds.