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Nursing Assistants in Iowa

Nursing Assistants in Iowa

Thinking about a career as a Nursing Assistants in Iowa? Here’s what the data says. Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants. Excludes “Home Health Aides” (31-1121), “Personal Care Aides” (31-1122), “Orderlies” (31-1132), and “Psychiatric Aides” (31-1133).

What do Nursing Assistants Make in Iowa?

For nursing assistants working in Iowa, the typical annual salary is $38,630 per year (or about $18.57/hour).Pay can range from $35,070 at the 10th percentile to $48,100 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $35,070 $16.86
25th percentile $36,740 $17.66
Median (50th) $38,630 $18.57
75th percentile $44,710 $21.49
90th percentile $48,100 $23.13
Salary ranges for Nursing Assistants in Iowa

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Iowa compared to the national average — is 1.63, indicating that nursing assistants are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, nursing assistants earn a median of $27,058 per year ($13.01/hour), exceeding the Iowa median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 90,706 nursing assistants across the United States. In Iowa alone, approximately 22,970 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 20,880 nursing assistants.

Forecasted number of jobs for Nursing Assistants

Top Iowa Metros for Nursing Assistants

The largest metro-area employers of nursing assistants in Iowa.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 4,870 $39,790
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 2,030 $37,870
Cedar Rapids, IA 1,670 $39,260
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 1,400 $38,090
Iowa City, IA 1,200 $37,900
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 1,020 $38,320
Dubuque, IA 890 $40,460
Ames, IA 760 $39,110

Top States for Nursing Assistants Employment

The table below shows the states where the most nursing assistants work.

State Number Employed
California 102,380
Florida 91,280
Texas 87,050
New York 85,310
Pennsylvania 65,410
Illinois 64,660
Ohio 62,360
North Carolina 61,280
Virginia 42,760
Georgia 42,460
Michigan 40,230
Massachusetts 38,280
Missouri 32,650
New Jersey 31,310
Indiana 31,240
Washington 28,080
Wisconsin 27,480
Minnesota 26,970
Alabama 24,560
Maryland 24,230

Highest-Paying States for Nursing Assistants

Where nursing assistants earn the most: nursing assistants.

State Annual Median Salary
Oregon $48,390
Washington $48,260
New York $47,390
District of Columbia $46,860
California $46,420
New Hampshire $46,050
Alaska $45,840
Maine $45,640
Minnesota $45,580
Massachusetts $45,410

Skills

The most important nursing assistants skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Service Orientation  4.0 / 5
0
5
Social Perceptiveness  3.6 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.6 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  3.2 / 5
0
5
Coordination  3.1 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.1 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Customer and Personal Service  3.9 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  3.3 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.3 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  3.2 / 5
0
5
Medicine and Dentistry  3.1 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  3.1 / 5
0
5

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for nursing assistants, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Oral Comprehension  3.9 / 5
0
5
Problem Sensitivity  3.9 / 5
0
5
Near Vision  3.8 / 5
0
5
Oral Expression  3.8 / 5
0
5
Speech Recognition  3.5 / 5
0
5
Static Strength  3.2 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

  • Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
  • Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
  • Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
  • Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
  • Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
  • Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
  • Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
  • Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
  • Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
  • Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.
  • Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
  • Supply, collect, or empty bedpans.

Work Activities

  • Assisting and Caring for Others
  • Getting Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  • Performing General Physical Activities
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Developing and Building Teams
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Apache Spark

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Related college programs include:

Related occupations to nursing assistants include:

Also Known As

Birth Attendant, Certified Medication Aide (CMA), Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Certified Nurses Aide (CNA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Nursing Attendant (CNA), Certified Residential Medication Aide (CRMA), Clinical Assistant, Competency Evaluated Nurse Aide (CENA), First Aid Attendant, Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA), Gericare Aide, Health Aide, Health Care Aide.

References

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