Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in Kansas are fundamental to the healthcare industry’s ability to provide quality healthcare services to people across ages, races, medical conditions, and settings.
What does this fundamental nature of the profession mean in practical terms? Simply put, it means security, variety, and opportunity.
This guide aims to help you better understand your options as a Kansas CNA and prepare you to identify and capitalize on the PRN jobs near you. Want more information? Learn the differences between CMA vs CNA.
Security: Kansas CNA Jobs
For anyone researching a potential career path, the question of job security is logical. If you invest your time and finances into training for a career, you want to know that it will be worthwhile and that there will be job opportunities when you’re ready to start working. So, what level of job security can the profession of a Kansas nursing assistant provide?
To help you answer this question, let’s dive into the data from two sources: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL). Both of these government agencies are treasure troves of publicly available data and information on the labor market, and they publish updated information annually.
What the Data Shows
According to the BLS, over 22,200 CNAs work across the Sunflower State, and over 7,000 work in nonmetropolitan areas. Kansas is among the top five states with the highest concentration of nursing assistant jobs, and the Kansas nonmetropolitan area has the highest CNA employment of nonmetropolitan areas in the country.
This data indicates that there are many CNA jobs in the state, and healthcare facilities and hospitals in rural areas and smaller towns recognize the profession’s importance and are hiring CNAs to provide direct nursing care.
For a deeper look, we turn to KDOL and its annual “Kansas Economic Report,” which discloses statistics and data projections for the state’s labor market both for the state as a whole and specific regions. The most recent report from 2022 (data not yet available for 2023) features a “Top High Demand Occupations” list based on the projections for professions that will have the most job openings through to the year 2030. The occupation of “nursing assistant” is ranked for the entire state as a whole and in each region as follows:
- Ranked seventh statewide
- Ranked sixth for the Kansas City Area
- Ranked seventh for the Northeast Region
- Ranked fourth for the North Central, Northwest, and Southwest Regions combined
- Ranked third for the South Central Region
- Ranked fifth for the Southeast Region
Kansas job openings for “nursing assistants” were also noted in high numbers across several regions as follows:
- The Kansas City Area had 3,114 CNA job openings
- Northeast Kansas had over 1,000 CNA job openings
- Western Kansas (Southwest, Northwest, and North Central combined) had 1,530 CNA job openings
- South Central Kansas had over 1,000 CNA job openings
- The Southeast had over 500 CNA job openings
As you can see, certified nursing assistants consistently rank in high demand, regardless of the location in Kansas. Furthermore, KDOL’s growth projections place the healthcare and social assistance industry in the lead, expecting a growth of 8 percent for the sector through the year 2030. A high ranking as an in-demand profession, combined with the high number of job openings across regions and favorable growth projections for the healthcare industry, suggests that this profession needs more people.
Variety: In What Settings Do CNAs Work?
Nationwide, Nursing Care Facilities—also called Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)—employ the largest percentage of nursing assistants, as reported by the BLS. Other industry settings that employ large numbers of CNAs include General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities, and Home Health Care Services, as follows:
- Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities): 33.25%
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities: 15.83%
- Specialty Hospitals (does not include Psychiatric or Substance Abuse): 9.94%
- General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: 7.19%
- Home Health Care Services: 5.08%
Hospitals provide many different services to patients with various conditions, which means that the more experienced nursing assistants who work in hospitals may find themselves in different specialty settings such as Med-Surg, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), or the Emergency Room (ER).
Check out the most popular ways to stay hydrated on the job in our post about the best water bottles for nurses.
The CNA career path can offer variety in even more ways than you might expect. Other industries that also employ CNAs, albeit at a smaller rate, include the following:
- Employment Services: 1.59%
- Federal, State, and Local Government: 0.71%
- Technical and Trade Schools: 0.05%
- Scientific Research and Development Services: 0.02%
- Junior Colleges: 0.01%
- Dental Offices: Estimate not released
The list is pretty broad regarding the different types of work settings a Kansas CNA can find for a long-term commitment. However, if you want variety in the short term, you can also look at per diem jobs with Nursa.
Opportunity: PRN CNA Jobs in Kansas with Nursa
Per diem or PRN jobs with Nursa in Kansas offer CNAs a fusion of variety and opportunity by creating contracted job opportunities at top hourly pay rates for those who desire to work in more than one setting without a long-term commitment. Continue reading to learn what working PRN means.
To learn more about unlocking opportunities, read our article about the ban on noncompetes.
What Are Per Diem Jobs with Nursa?
Nursa is a healthcare platform dedicated to making it easier for nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and registered nurses (RNs) to find work on their own terms. PRN CNA jobs with Nursa are shifts that facilities across Kansas need to fill, and often, the need is urgent. These jobs are available on the platform in real-time, as facilities post their shifts when they have vacancies, scheduled time off for staff, increases in patient intake, and even last-minute call-offs. These jobs are single-shift independent contracts, which means you choose if and when you want to work, giving you the control to decide what works for you. By picking up one of these per diem shifts for CNAs, you’re helping out the staff who would otherwise have to cover the shortage, ensuring patient care isn’t compromised, and earning top hourly pay rates.
How to Become a CNA in Kansas
Are you already a nursing assistant but haven’t actively worked for a while? You can check your status with the Kansas CNA license lookup here.
For those interested in becoming certified nursing assistants in Kansas, refer to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) for a list of approved training programs and additional information. KDADS is responsible for CNA credentialing and maintains the Kansas CNA registry. Once you’ve obtained your certification as a nursing assistant, you can legally work CNA jobs. This certification may also make patient care tech (PCT) jobs available to you.
Average CNA Salary in Kansas
The average salary for a CNA in Kansas is much higher than the minimum wage but lower than the national average salary. However, Kansas’s cost of living is lower than that of most states with higher CNA wages. Let’s compare:
- The Kansas mean hourly wage for a CNA is $17.32.
- The national mean hourly wage for a CNA is $19.04.
- The Kansas hourly minimum wage is $7.25.
How to Find PRN CNA Jobs Near You
Finding high-paying PRN CNA jobs in Kansas is simple when you sign up with Nursa. Once you’ve verified your nursing assistant certification, you can browse Nursa’s PRN CNA shifts near you or expand your search radius to include other cities and towns in Kansas. The only limit to your search distance is how far you are willing to go (within the state). In fact, you can pick up shifts outside Kansas as well as long as you have the necessary credentials.
Kansas is a strong agricultural state, with miles of sprawling farmland and prairies and rural towns and cities scattered throughout. To date, the largest metropolitan areas are mainly in the Northeast and Central areas.
PRN CNA Jobs in Northeast Kansas
In the Northeastern corner, the Kansas City metropolitan area crosses the state border into Missouri, but you’ll find PRN CNA jobs firmly on the Kansas side in Kansas City. The Northeast Region is home to several cities and highly rated hospitals and healthcare facilities providing care to local communities, so keep an eye out for shifts popping up in Overland Park, Olathe, Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan, and so on.
PRN CNA Jobs in Northwest Kansas
In the northwestern corner, browse available PRN CNA shifts in Atwood, Sharon Springs, and Phillipsburg, and watch for opportunities in Colby, Goodland, and Burlington.
PRN CNA Jobs in Central Kansas
In the central part of the state, you can search for CNA shifts in Belleville and Frankfort in the north and Wichita and Salina further south.
PRN CNA Jobs in Western Kansas
For CNAs out west, Nursa is collaborating with facilities in Jetmore, Ness City, and Hays, with more to come soon.
Join Nursa Today and Find PRN CNA Jobs near You
Nursa is constantly growing and connecting with facilities and CNAs in new towns and cities across the US, bringing CNAs like you opportunities to work on your own terms. Whether you pick up a few shifts a week or just a couple a month, the choice is entirely yours. Sign up with Nursa, verify your nursing assistant certification, and start browsing shifts near you.
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