Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in Baltimore, MD
Certified nursing assistants in Baltimore start around $18 to $22 an hour, and Johns Hopkins pays patient care techs with a Maryland CNA up to $27.70. Here are the current CNA and GNA openings in the city, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get certified.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in Baltimore, MD
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Certified Nursing Assistant Work in Baltimore
Baltimore CNAs work in two very different settings. The hospitals, led by Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore and Johns Hopkins Bayview in Southeast Baltimore, hire CNAs as patient care techs and clinical techs on neuro, oncology, psychiatric, transplant and surgical units. Nursing and rehab centers such as FutureCare's Sandtown and Charles Village centers hire geriatric nursing assistants for long-term care, and Mercy Medical Center downtown and GBMC in Towson recruit for both.
The split matters because Maryland adds a second credential for nursing homes. A CNA certificate gets you into a hospital, but a licensed comprehensive care facility needs you to hold the GNA as well, so most Baltimore programs prepare you for both. Because Maryland requires pay ranges on postings, you can compare a Hopkins unit job with a FutureCare night shift before you apply.
Top Baltimore Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
These Baltimore employers are posting CNA, GNA and patient care tech openings now:
- Johns Hopkins Hospital - hires CNAs for child and adolescent psychiatry and CNA-certified patient care techs for neuro, oncology and transplant units.
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center - the Southeast Baltimore campus hires CNA-certified patient care techs, including full-time nights.
- FutureCare - the Maryland nursing and rehab group hires GNAs at its Sandtown and Charles Village centers, full-time, part-time and PRN.
- Mercy Medical Center - the St. Paul Place hospital posts geriatric nursing assistant and patient care technician roles.
- GBMC HealthCare - the Towson medical center hires patient care technicians and nurse support technicians through quick apply.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Baltimore
- Entry level: $17.92 to $20.79 an hour, the posted range for a CNA on a child and adolescent psychiatric unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
- Experienced GNA: $19 to $22 an hour plus shift differentials, the posted range for GNAs at FutureCare's Baltimore centers.
- Patient care tech: $18.41 to $27.70 an hour, the posted range for CNA-certified patient care techs at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview.
These are estimates from posted employer ranges; across the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro, healthcare support jobs averaged $20.39 an hour in May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Night and weekend shifts, hospital unit experience, holding both the CNA and GNA, and years on the job move you toward the top of a range.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Baltimore
You finish a training program approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing, then apply to the Board for CNA certification. To work in a nursing home you also pass the geriatric nursing assistant exam, given through Credentia with a written test and a skills test, to earn the GNA. The Community College of Baltimore County runs a 143-hour nursing assistant program at its Dundalk, Essex and Randallstown campuses that prepares you for both, listed at $2,274 in tuition and fees. In the city, Goodwill runs a 12-week CNA and GNA program with Baltimore City Community College on Liberty Heights Avenue.
What the Job Involves
CNAs help patients bathe, dress, eat, move and use the bathroom, take vital signs, turn and reposition patients who cannot move themselves, record intake and output, and report changes to the nurse. In long-term care, GNAs often work with the same residents shift after shift, while hospital techs see a new set of patients as they move through the unit.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Maryland CNA certificate, plus the GNA for nursing homes
- Current CPR or BLS certification
- Accurate vital signs and charting
- Safe patient lifting and transfers
- Patience and respect with elderly and psychiatric patients
- Reliability on nights, weekends and 12-hour shifts
Career Path and Advancement
A Baltimore CNA job is often the first step toward nursing. Many aides start in long-term care with a GNA, move to a hospital patient care tech role at Hopkins or Mercy, then enter the practical nursing program at CCBC Dundalk or an RN associate degree at CCBC Catonsville or Essex or BCCC while working. From there the path runs to LPN, RN and specialty nursing.
Related Careers in Baltimore
If patient care interests you, these Baltimore guides are the next steps:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a CNA and a GNA in Maryland?
The CNA is Maryland's base certification for nursing assistants, issued by the Maryland Board of Nursing. The GNA is an added certification required to work in a licensed comprehensive care facility, which means a nursing home, and it takes passing the geriatric exam.
How much do CNAs make in Baltimore?
Posted ranges in Baltimore run from $17.92 to $20.79 an hour for a Hopkins CNA, $19 to $22 plus differentials for a FutureCare GNA, and up to $27.70 for a Hopkins patient care tech.
How long does CNA training take in Baltimore?
CCBC's nursing assistant program is 143 hours of theory, CPR and clinicals, and Goodwill's program with BCCC runs 12 weeks, Monday through Thursday mornings. Both prepare you for Maryland CNA and GNA certification.
Do Baltimore hospitals hire CNAs?
Yes. Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview require a Maryland CNA for their patient care tech roles, and Mercy and GBMC also hire patient care technicians.
Who certifies nursing assistants in Maryland?
The Maryland Board of Nursing certifies CNAs and GNAs and approves every training program. A program the Board has not approved cannot make you eligible for certification, so check before you enroll.
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