Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in Louisville, KY
Nursing assistants in Louisville earn a median of about $20.30 an hour, above the Kentucky median, with steady hiring at senior living campuses such as The Willows at Springhurst and at the hospitals of the downtown Medical Center. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get on the state registry.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in Louisville, KY
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Certified Nursing Assistant Work in Louisville
Kentucky's legal title for the job is State Registered Nurse Aide, or SRNA, and you will see SRNA and CNA used side by side in Louisville postings. Much of the aide hiring is in long-term care. Trilogy Health Services, headquartered on North Hurstbourne Parkway, runs skilled nursing and assisted living campuses across Louisville, including The Willows at Springhurst, The Legacy at English Station, Glen Ridge, Forest Springs and Westport Place, and posts CNA openings for 12-hour day and night shifts.
The hospitals hire the same skill set under different titles. Norton Healthcare calls the role Patient Care Associate on units at Norton Hospital downtown and Norton Women's and Children's in St. Matthews, and UofL Health hires Patient Care Assistants for the UofL Hospital float pool in the Louisville Medical Center off Hospital Curve. Healthcare workers here commonly commute from Bullitt County on I-65 or from Southern Indiana across the bridges, and suburban campuses along the Watterson and the Snyder cut that drive for many.
Top Louisville Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
Louisville nursing assistants are hired by senior living operators, hospital systems and rehab hospitals:
- Trilogy Health Services - the Louisville-based senior living operator posts CNA jobs at its Louisville campuses, with full-time, part-time and PRN shifts.
- Norton Healthcare - the city's largest health system hires Patient Care Associates for float teams and inpatient units, with paid classroom and on-the-job training.
- UofL Health - the academic health system hires Patient Care Assistants for UofL Hospital, with SRNA preferred and BLS required.
- Frazier Rehabilitation Hospital - Brownsboro - the UofL Health and Lifepoint rehab hospital in the northeast end hires rehab CNAs and CNA apprentices.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Louisville
- Entry level: about $15.50 to $17.50 an hour for newly registered aides in senior living.
- Experienced: roughly $18 to $21 an hour, the range around the metro median.
- Senior: about $21 to $23 an hour for experienced aides on hospital units, nights and weekends.
These are estimates built from federal wage data for the Louisville metro and current local postings. Trilogy, for example, lists CNA pay of $15.67 to $19.58 an hour at most of its Louisville campuses. Night and weekend differentials, 12-hour shifts, hospital versus nursing home work, and years on the registry move pay the most.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Louisville
To work as an SRNA in Kentucky you complete a state-approved nurse aide training course, pass the written and skills competency exams within one year of finishing, and are then listed on the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry, which the Kentucky Board of Nursing maintains. Jefferson Community and Technical College offers its one-semester Medicaid Nurse Aide course (HST 104) at the Jefferson Technical Campus, the Carrollton Campus and the Shelby Campus, and runs state testing at the Jefferson Technical Campus. Expect a background check, drug screen and TB test before clinicals. Norton's Patient Care Associate role is another way in: it requires no certification and trains you on the job.
What the Job Involves
Nursing assistants give hands-on daily care under the direction of nurses. A shift includes taking vital signs, helping residents and patients bathe, dress, eat and move, turning and repositioning bedbound patients, answering call lights, recording intake and output, and reporting changes in condition to the charge nurse. In a hospital the role often adds blood glucose checks and helping with admissions and discharges.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active SRNA listing or certification from another state
- Current BLS CPR certification
- Safe lifting, transfer and gait-belt technique
- Accurate vital signs and charting
- Patience and clear communication with residents and families
- Reliability on 12-hour and weekend shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Many Louisville aides use the job as the first rung of a nursing career. The common ladder runs from SRNA or Patient Care Associate to Licensed Practical Nurse through programs at JCTC, Sullivan University or Galen College of Nursing, and then to Registered Nurse. Norton offers tuition assistance for clinical degrees, and aides who stay in long-term care can move into restorative aide, medication aide or unit coordinator roles.
Related Careers in Louisville
If nursing assistant work interests you, these related Louisville roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a CNA the same as an SRNA in Kentucky?
Yes, for hiring purposes. Kentucky's legal title is State Registered Nurse Aide, and Louisville employers use SRNA and CNA interchangeably. What matters is that you are listed on the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry kept by the Kentucky Board of Nursing.
How much do nursing assistants make in Louisville?
Federal wage data puts the Louisville metro median at about $20.30 an hour, with the middle 80 percent of aides between about $17 and $23. Senior living campuses tend to start lower, while hospital units, nights and weekends pay more.
How long does it take to become an SRNA in Louisville?
JCTC's Medicaid Nurse Aide course can be finished in one semester, and you then have up to one year after training to pass the written and skills exams. Once you pass both, you are placed on the Kentucky Nurse Aide Registry and can be hired as an SRNA.
How much does the nurse aide exam cost at JCTC?
JCTC lists the state competency exam at $135, non-refundable, taken at its Jefferson Technical Campus. Bring a valid government photo ID and your original Social Security card; copies are not accepted.
Can I work as a nursing assistant in Louisville without a certification?
Yes, at some hospitals. Norton Healthcare hires Patient Care Associates with no experience or certification and provides paid classroom and on-the-job training. Nursing homes and senior living campuses generally require an active SRNA or CNA listing.
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