Virginia Medical Malpractice Blog - Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C.

CNAs are Underpaid and Overworked

Imagine working in a job where you have 50% chance of getting injured each year.  Imagine being paid so poorly you can not afford to participate in an employer sponsored health plan.  Imagine working under tireless conditions for 10 years and only being paid $2/hour more than your co-workers who have worked only one year.

According to an article in The Gerontologist, those are the working conditions of an average nursing home CNA.  Of course certified nursing assistants (CNA) are the primary direct care givers for the 1.5 million Americans living in nursing homes.  I encourage you to follow this link to read this shocking article: http://gerontologist.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/49/2/185. 

A few other statistics:  Over 30% of nursing home CNAs receive some type of government assistance. The median income is $10.04/hr.

These poor working conditions are not just unfair to the CNAs, they lead to poor patient care.  Because of the low pay, CNAs commonly work multiple jobs.  As stated in the article "working long hours may contribute to mistakes, affecting resident safety and quality of care."  For the nursing home patient, that means increased risk of pressure ulcers, malnutrition, dehydration, falls, and medication errors.  Senior citizens deserve better!

Joshua Silverman