Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in Long Beach, CA
Certified nursing assistants in Long Beach work everywhere from the skilled nursing homes along Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls to the hospital floors at St. Mary Medical Center downtown, where CNA postings run $24.00 to $29.50 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get certified.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in Long Beach, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Certified Nursing Assistant Work in Long Beach
Long Beach has two kinds of CNA jobs, and they pay differently. The post-acute and skilled nursing facilities clustered on Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls and along East Anaheim Street hire the most aides, usually on 8-hour AM and PM shifts. The hospitals, led by the MemorialCare campus at 2801 Atlantic Ave near the 405 and Dignity Health St. Mary on Linden Avenue downtown, hire fewer CNAs but pay more and often want acute-care experience.
The VA Long Beach Healthcare System on East 7th Street next to CSULB adds federal nursing assistant jobs on its spinal cord injury and extended care units. California's health care worker minimum wage law, SB 525, sets higher pay floors for hospitals and clinics, while freestanding nursing homes are not yet covered, which helps explain why the same certificate can pay several dollars more an hour a few miles away.
Top Long Beach Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
These Long Beach employers have posted CNA and nursing assistant openings on their own careers sites:
- Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center - the downtown hospital on Linden Avenue hires CNAs for telemetry and other units on day and night shifts.
- MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center - the Atlantic Avenue hospital hires nursing assistants and patient care assistants for ortho/neuro, observation, ICU and surgical units.
- VA Long Beach Healthcare System - the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center posts nursing assistant jobs for its spinal cord injury and other units through USAJOBS.
- Bixby Towers Post-Acute Rehab - the skilled nursing facility at 3747 Atlantic Ave in Bixby Knolls hires full-time CNAs on AM and PM shifts.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Long Beach
- Entry level: about $21.50 to $25 an hour at skilled nursing and post-acute facilities.
- Experienced: roughly $24 to $29.50 an hour on hospital units such as St. Mary's telemetry floor.
- Senior / federal: VA nursing assistants are paid on the GS-3 to GS-5 scale, about $42,900 to $70,100 a year.
These are estimates drawn from local employer postings, and they move with the setting, shift and experience. Hospitals pay more than nursing homes, night shifts often add a differential, and hospital patient care assistant jobs usually ask for three years of acute-care or five years of skilled nursing experience before they pay the top of the range.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Long Beach
California requires 160 hours of approved training, at least 60 hours of classroom theory and 100 hours of supervised clinical work, plus Live Scan fingerprinting and a passing score on the state exam. Certification is issued by the California Department of Public Health through its Healthcare Professional Certification and Training Section. Long Beach City College covers the training in VN215, a 16-week course with skills labs on campus and clinical hours at a local long-term care facility, and many students use it as the first step toward the LBCC vocational nursing program, which requires current CNA certification.
What the Job Involves
CNAs handle the hands-on care that keeps patients safe and comfortable: bathing, dressing, feeding and toileting, turning and repositioning, helping patients walk and transfer, taking vital signs, recording intake and output, and reporting changes to the nurse. In a hospital you also help with admissions, discharges and post-surgery recovery; in a skilled nursing facility you care for the same residents day after day.
Skills Employers Look For
- Current California CNA certification
- American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers
- Safe patient handling, transfers and lift use
- Accurate vital signs and charting
- Patience and clear communication with patients and families
- Reliability on early, night and weekend shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Most Long Beach CNAs start in a skilled nursing facility, build experience, and move to a hospital patient care assistant or ED technician job at MemorialCare or St. Mary. The bigger step is nursing school: LBCC's vocational nursing program requires CNA certification, and its LVN-to-RN career ladder and associate degree in nursing lead on to registered nurse jobs, with BSN options at CSULB.
Related Careers in Long Beach
If CNA work interests you, these related Long Beach roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get CNA certified in California?
Complete a state-approved nurse assistant training program of at least 160 hours, submit Live Scan fingerprints, and pass the state certification exam. The California Department of Public Health issues the certificate. In Long Beach, LBCC's VN215 course provides the required hours.
How much do CNAs make in Long Beach?
Skilled nursing facilities generally start CNAs around $21.50 to $25 an hour, and hospital CNA postings at St. Mary Medical Center run $24.00 to $29.50 an hour. VA Long Beach nursing assistants earn roughly $42,900 to $70,100 a year on the federal scale.
Do Long Beach hospitals hire new CNAs?
Some do, but many hospital jobs ask for experience. MemorialCare's patient care assistant postings ask for three years of acute-care or five years of skilled nursing experience, or nursing school enrollment past the first semester. Starting at a skilled nursing facility in Bixby Knolls or on East Anaheim Street is the usual way in.
What shifts do CNAs work in Long Beach?
Skilled nursing facilities usually run 8-hour AM, PM and night shifts, while hospitals use 8- and 12-hour shifts, including nights. Weekend and holiday rotations are standard almost everywhere.
Is CNA certification required to become an LVN in Long Beach?
For LBCC's vocational nursing program, yes. The program lists current California CNA certification as a prerequisite, along with anatomy and pharmacology coursework and a background check.
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