CNA positions in Philadelphia include hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation, assisted living, home health and hospice roles, all open to nursing assistants who finish a state-approved training program of at least 75 hours, pass the Pennsylvania competency exam, and appear on the state Nurse Aide Registry. Most openings are full-time, with day, evening, night and weekend shifts.
CNA positions in Philadelphia include hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation, assisted living, home health and hospice roles, all open to nursing assistants who finish a state-approved training program of at least 75 hours, pass the Pennsylvania competency exam, and appear on the state Nurse Aide Registry. Most openings are full-time, with day, evening, night and weekend shifts.
| Fact | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum training | 75 clock hours of approved training, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training | CMS federal rule, 42 CFR 483.152 |
| Exam format | Written or oral knowledge exam plus an in-person skills demonstration | 42 CFR 483.154 (Cornell LII) |
| Retake rule | Federal minimum of three attempts; you must be told which areas you failed before each retake | 42 CFR 483.154 (Cornell LII) |
| Passing score | Set by each state; no national percentage is published | Pennsylvania Department of Health |
| Exam fees | Vary by state and vendor; for example, Connecticut's bundled written and skills price is $125 from August 1, 2026. Confirm Pennsylvania's current fee with its testing vendor | Prometric (Connecticut) |
| Registry | Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry, which employers check before hiring | Pennsylvania Department of Health |
| Validity | About 2 years in most states; renewal usually requires paid nursing-aide work and continuing education | State nurse aide registry |
Before you apply, it helps to know what employers screen for. Most Philadelphia postings ask for an active listing on the registry, a clean background check, current immunizations, and often CPR certification. If you are still preparing for the exam, work through free cna credential practice exams first, because a fresh certificate and a verified registry listing make hiring managers move faster and can lift your starting offer.
Philadelphia is one of the densest healthcare job markets on the East Coast, and nursing assistants are needed in every corner of it. Large academic medical centers hire aides for medical-surgical floors, emergency departments and telemetry units. Skilled nursing and long-term care facilities hire the largest number. Rehabilitation hospitals, dialysis clinics, assisted living communities, hospice agencies and private home care companies fill out the rest, so the setting you choose shapes your daily routine more than the job title does.
Hospital work is the most common starting point for people who want clinical exposure, and our walkthrough of acute care duties pairs well with this guide to CNA Jobs in Philadelphia. Acute care aides take vital signs, help patients walk, answer call lights, and report changes to the nurse quickly. Those habits are the foundation for every later role, whether you stay in a hospital or move into long-term care.
Search behavior in the city is very practical. Most candidates type phrases like cna jobs near me or cna hiring near me, then filter by neighborhood, shift and pay. That works, but you will get better results if you also search by employer name and by facility type. Postings in Center City, University City, North Philadelphia and the Northeast often use different titles, such as patient care technician, nurse aide or resident assistant, for essentially the same work.
Pay varies widely, so treat any single number with caution. Advertised hourly rates for Philadelphia nursing assistants commonly fall between the high teens and low twenties, with night and weekend differentials adding a dollar or more per hour. Hospitals tend to pay more and offer tuition help, while smaller nursing homes may offer sign-on bonuses or faster scheduling. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a national median near $39,500 a year for nursing assistants in 2024, a useful baseline.
This guide walks through the roles, the requirements, the best places to look, and the steps to get hired. It also covers the electronic charting systems you will use on day one, including the PointClickCare platform that many long-term care facilities rely on. Each section answers a question that candidates commonly ask, so you can jump to the part you need, then use the practice quizzes to sharpen the skills that interviews and exams actually test.
A final note on timing: hiring in Philadelphia stays steady all year because turnover in nursing assistant roles is high, but openings often rise in late summer, when students leave summer jobs, and in January, when budgets reset. If you already hold your certification, apply to several employers at once and ask each one about orientation length, resident ratios and scheduling rules. If you are new, some employers pay for training in exchange for a work commitment.
Hospital aides work on medical-surgical, telemetry, oncology and emergency units. Duties include vital signs, mobility help, hygiene care and fast reporting to nurses. Pay and benefits are often strongest here, and many systems offer tuition help for aides who want to become nurses.
Long-term care facilities hire the largest number of CNAs in the city. You build ongoing relationships with residents, assist with daily living tasks, and chart in electronic systems. Ratios can be higher, so ask about staffing before accepting an offer.
Rehab centers and assisted living communities focus on restoring independence. You help residents with exercises, transfers, meals and routines under nurse and therapist direction. These roles suit people who like seeing steady progress and prefer a calmer pace than an acute care floor.
Home care aides visit clients in their homes, often one person at a time. You help with bathing, meals, light housekeeping and comfort. Hospice work adds emotional support for families. Expect flexible schedules, travel between visits, and more independence on the job.
The path starts with training. Federal rules require at least 75 clock hours of state-approved instruction, and at least 16 of those hours must be supervised practical training in a lab or facility. Pennsylvania programs usually run between four and twelve weeks depending on whether classes are full-time or evening. If you are comparing cna courses near me, confirm the program is state approved before paying, since an unapproved course will not qualify you for the exam.
Next comes the competency exam. It has a knowledge portion, written or oral, and a skills portion in which an evaluator watches you perform several tasks such as handwashing, measuring blood pressure, transferring a resident, or providing personal care. Handwashing is checked on every skills test, so practice it until it is automatic. Federal rules let you attempt the exam at least three times, and you must be told which areas you missed before each retake.
After you pass, the testing vendor reports your results to the state, and your name is added to the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry. Employers verify this listing online before they hire you, so check that your name, address and certificate status are accurate. Many candidates lose a week of start-date time because of a misspelled name or an old address. Keep a copy of your certificate and a government photo ID ready for the first day of orientation.
Employers add their own screening on top of certification. Expect a criminal history check, since Pennsylvania law restricts direct care employment for people with certain convictions, plus a tuberculosis test, proof of vaccinations, and sometimes a drug screen. Hospitals often require a physical and a flu vaccination, while home care agencies may ask for a driver's license and car insurance. Start gathering these documents while you wait for your registry listing so nothing delays your start date.
Soft skills matter as much as paperwork. Interviewers in Philadelphia ask scenario questions about residents who refuse care, families who are upset, or coworkers who skip safety steps. Strong answers describe the situation, name the safe action, and mention reporting to the nurse. This is also where knowledge of resident rights, abuse reporting and infection control shows. Reviewing those topics before an interview is time well spent and doubles as useful exam review.
Many people ask how the wider field is organized. Our overview of cna positions explains every role and specialty, from restorative aides and feeding assistants to patient care technicians and dialysis aides. Philadelphia employers use many of these titles, and knowing the vocabulary helps you read job ads correctly and spot roles that match your training, your preferred schedule and your long-term career goals.
Finally, consider the career ladder. Many Philadelphia CNAs work two to three years, then move into licensed practical nursing or registered nursing through community college or hospital-sponsored programs. Some employers reimburse part of tuition, which turns an entry job into a funded path. Ask about tuition benefits during interviews, because the difference between a bare-bones offer and a supportive one can be worth thousands of dollars over a few years.
Hospital systems are the first stop for many people searching cna jobs near me in Philadelphia. Large networks such as Penn Medicine, Jefferson Health, Temple Health and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia regularly post nursing assistant and patient care technician openings across units from medical-surgical to oncology. Postings usually list shifts of eight or twelve hours, and most include benefits for full-time and part-time staff, which makes hospitals attractive for aides who want stability.
Competition can be stiffer because hospitals often prefer candidates with recent clinical experience, BLS CPR certification and strong references. Apply through each system's career site, set job alerts, and expect a structured interview with a nurse manager. Many hospitals run formal orientation programs lasting several weeks, and some offer tuition assistance for aides who want to become nurses, which makes the extra application effort worthwhile for people planning a longer career.
Skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities create the largest share of cna hiring near me results in the city. They post openings constantly, hire quickly, and are often willing to train new graduates. Many use PointClickCare for charting, so you will learn the system during orientation. Hourly pay can be a little lower than hospitals, but sign-on bonuses, weekend premiums and flexible scheduling can close much of the gap.
Because staffing levels differ widely, ask direct questions before you accept. How many residents does each aide cover on days, evenings and nights? How long is orientation, and how is call-out coverage handled? Visit the building if you can and notice whether call lights are answered and whether staff seem calm. A well-run facility is a strong place to build skills, while a chronically short-staffed one can burn you out in months.
Home health agencies and private duty companies hire aides to care for clients in their own homes. A typical visit lasts from two to eight hours and includes bathing, meal preparation, medication reminders and companionship. This setting offers more independence and a one-to-one relationship with clients. Many agencies let you pick your hours, which suits students, parents and anyone who wants a flexible schedule while keeping a steady income.
Staffing agencies can also place you in per diem shifts at hospitals and nursing homes, often at higher hourly rates but without paid time off or guaranteed hours. If you search for a cna job near me and see very high hourly pay, check whether it is an agency or per diem role. Compare the full package, including travel time, mileage reimbursement, insurance and cancellation policies, before you decide which option works for you.
Employers cannot finish hiring until your registry listing shows as active, so make that your first milestone. Once it does, apply to eight to ten employers in the same week and ask each about orientation dates. Multiple applications give you choices on pay, ratios and schedule instead of one rushed offer.
PointClickCare is a cloud-based electronic health record used by many skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. Searches such as pointclickcare cna login, pointclick care cna and cna point click care are common because new aides are handed a username on orientation day and have no idea where to sign in. There is no public CNA sign-up page; your employer's administrator creates your account and gives you the facility's secure web address.
Within the system, CNAs usually use the Point of Care module, often called POC, to document activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, toileting, eating and repositioning. Each shift you select a resident, choose the task, and record the level of assistance given, like independent, limited assist or total dependence. Those entries become part of the legal medical record, so accuracy matters as much as speed, and nurses review them to spot changes in condition.
If you search click point care cna or point care click cna, you are looking for the same product; the words just arrive in a different order. Never try to log in through third-party sites that claim to offer a CNA portal. Use only the link your facility provides, keep your password private, and never share a login with a coworker, since every charted entry is traceable to the person whose credentials were used to sign in.
Pay is the next question most candidates ask. For a wider salary picture, see our breakdown of how much do cnas make in another large city, which shows how shift differentials, overtime and facility type change take-home pay. In Philadelphia, hospital aides generally earn more than nursing home aides, while agency and per diem work pays a premium in exchange for fewer benefits and less predictable hours.
Run the math on a realistic week. At an advertised $19 an hour for 36 hours, gross pay is $684 before taxes. Add a $2 night differential for three overnight shifts of 12 hours and you gain about $72 more. Overtime beyond 40 hours is paid at time and a half under federal law for most aides. Comparing offers by total weekly pay and benefits, not just the hourly headline, prevents expensive surprises later.
Benefits can matter more than a dollar of hourly pay. Look for health insurance start dates, paid time off accrual, retirement matching, tuition help, shift-swapping rules and mileage reimbursement for home care. Some hospital positions list wage scales and step increases in writing, which makes comparisons easier. Ask recruiters for the written benefits summary before accepting, and compare the cost of insurance premiums, because a cheaper plan can cancel out a higher wage.
Remember the charting system when you evaluate a job. Facilities that use PointClickCare with tablets or wall kiosks usually build training into orientation, but some still rely on paper. Ask what technology the unit uses, how many residents each aide covers, and whether a nurse or an aide enters vital signs. These details shape your daily workload and are good predictors of how supported you will feel during the first ninety days.
Start with a focused resume that fits on one page. List your certification and registry status at the top, then clinical hours, facility names, and any specialty exposure such as dementia care or rehab. Use numbers where possible, such as eight residents per shift or twenty-four clinical hours. A cna job near me search will return hundreds of postings, so tailor your resume to the keywords in each listing instead of sending one generic version to every employer.
Apply on several channels at once. Employer career pages are the most reliable because postings are real and current. General job boards add volume, and staffing agencies can place you quickly, sometimes within days. Walk-in hiring events at nursing homes and hospital job fairs are also common. Keep a spreadsheet of the date, company, contact name and follow-up date, because recruiters often call back days later and you should know exactly which job they mean.
Prepare for the interview with specific stories. Expect questions about handling a resident who refuses a bath, responding to a fall, working short-staffed, and dealing with a difficult family member. Use a simple structure: what happened, what you did, and the result. Mention safety, dignity and reporting. Dress neatly, bring copies of your certificate and ID, and arrive ten minutes early, since punctuality is itself an answer to the question about reliability.
Ask your own questions too. Useful ones include the typical resident ratio per aide, the schedule rotation, how call-outs are handled, how long orientation lasts, and what training is offered on dementia care and safe lifting. A facility that answers clearly is usually organized. One that dodges questions about ratios or turnover may be struggling. Because cna hiring near me results stay plentiful in Philadelphia, you can afford to be selective instead of accepting the first offer.
Once hired, protect your certification. Most states, including Pennsylvania, tie renewal to a minimum amount of paid nursing-aide work during the certification period, and many employers require annual in-service education, often twelve to twenty-four hours per year depending on the rules that apply. Our guide to cna ceu explains continuing education options, including free courses, so you can meet requirements without paying out of pocket.
Track your renewal date from day one. Registry certificates generally last about two years in most states, and a lapse can force you to retake the competency exam. Put the expiration date in your phone calendar with reminders at ninety and thirty days. Save pay stubs or an employer letter proving your work hours, because the registry may ask for verification. A small habit like this protects your income and avoids a stressful scramble later.
Finally, think about specialty paths that raise both pay and satisfaction. Dialysis technicians, restorative aides, medication aides where permitted, and hospital float pool members often earn more than general floor aides. Hospice and dementia units reward patience and strong communication. Pick a setting for your first year, learn thoroughly, then use that experience to move toward the specialty that fits your temperament, your schedule and the kind of patients you most enjoy helping.
Treat exam prep and job hunting as one project. The same knowledge that earns a pass on the competency exam, such as infection control, resident rights and safe transfers, also drives interview answers and early performance reviews. Block four to five study sessions a week of 30 to 45 minutes, and take timed practice quizzes so the real exam feels familiar. Short, frequent sessions beat one long weekend cram almost every time.
Memorize skills as sequences, not isolated steps. Handwashing, measuring blood pressure, making an occupied bed and assisting with a transfer each follow a set order, and evaluators score each critical step. Practice aloud on a family member or a pillow, narrating what you do and why. Explaining out loud reveals gaps quickly. Film yourself once and compare against your program's checklist to catch missed steps like pulling the privacy curtain or asking permission.
If you are still choosing a program, compare cna courses near me on four factors: state approval, total cost, exam pass rate, and whether clinical placement is guaranteed. Ask whether the fee includes the exam, uniforms, background check and textbooks. Some employers and community programs offer free or reduced training for a work commitment. Read that agreement carefully, including how long you must stay and what happens if you leave early, before you sign anything.
Plan your commute before accepting a shift. Philadelphia's SEPTA network reaches most hospitals, but evening and overnight service can be slower, and winter weather adds delays. Test the route at the actual shift hour. A job that pays a dollar more but costs ninety extra minutes in daily travel is often a worse deal. Ask about parking costs and shuttle services at hospital campuses as well, since both can quietly reduce your take-home pay.
Build good habits for the first week. Arrive early, bring a notebook, and write down routines for each resident, such as preferred names, diets and mobility limits. Ask questions rather than guessing, especially about lifts and isolation precautions. Introduce yourself to the charge nurse and offer help during busy times. Reliable new aides who communicate clearly earn better assignments and schedule flexibility within a few months, and managers remember who made their shift easier.
Protect your own health and energy. Nursing assistant work is physically demanding, and back injuries are among the most common problems. Use proper body mechanics, request lift equipment, and wear supportive shoes. Eat before long shifts, sleep consistently, and set boundaries around overtime when you are tired. Burnout drives much of the high turnover in this field, and the aides who last are usually those who treat rest as part of the job.
To wrap up: pick your target setting, confirm your registry status, polish a one-page resume, and apply to at least ten employers in your first week. Keep practicing with quizzes while you wait for callbacks. Searches for cna jobs, cna hiring near me and cna job near me will keep showing new listings every few days, so check often. Consistency, not luck, is what turns an application into an offer.