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Health care · Ohio

Nursing assistant (STNA): what the job actually is

Helping people with the basic care they cannot manage alone (bathing, dressing, eating, moving, toileting), mostly in nursing homes, under the supervision of nurses.

By , founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

The work

What this job actually is

  • Personal care: bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, helping people to the toilet and cleaning up when they did not make it.
  • Moving people safely, from bed to chair, chair to bathroom, and turning people who cannot turn themselves. It is physically hard work.
  • Being the eyes and ears for the nurses. You see residents more than anyone, so you notice when someone stops eating or seems off.
  • Company. For some residents, you are the person they talk to most all day.
  • Ohio's Department of Health says aides work under the direct supervision of an LPN or RN.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 6:00 a.m.: Report on your assigned residents, often ten or more.
  2. 6:30: Wake-ups, toileting, washing and dressing, one resident after another.
  3. 8:00: Breakfast in the dining room: setting up trays, helping people eat, writing down how much each person ate.
  4. 10:00: Showers, bed changes, and a resident who needs two people and a lift to move.
  5. 12:00: Lunch, then helping people lie down, turning residents on a schedule.
  6. 2:00 p.m.: Charting what you did, telling the nurse about the resident who would not eat, and handing off to second shift.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

You may like this if
  • You are patient and kind with people who are confused, slow or upset.
  • You want to find out if healthcare is for you without spending years in school first.
  • You like being useful in a physical, practical way.
You may hate this if
  • Cleaning up bodily fluids would make you quit. It happens every shift.
  • Your back or body cannot handle lifting and moving people all day.
  • You need to feel thanked. Some residents are confused or angry, and many days nobody says thank you.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ohio

  1. Find an ODH-licensed training program

    Ohio's Department of Health says training programs must be at least 75 hours: classroom work, skills practice in a lab, and 16 hours of clinical experience in a skilled nursing facility. Programs run in nursing homes, high schools, community colleges, nonprofits and private businesses.

  2. Ask who pays

    Under federal rules cited by ODH, if a nursing facility employs you or has offered you a job when you start training, you cannot be charged for the program, books or the test. If you are hired within 12 months after paying yourself, you may be reimbursed.

  3. Pass the state competency evaluation

    The test has a skills part and a written part. ODH names D&S Diversified Technologies as Ohio's testing vendor.

  4. Get listed on the Nurse Aide Registry

    Passing the test puts you on Ohio's Nurse Aide Registry. Being on the registry in good standing is what makes you a certified nurse aide in Ohio.

While you are still in high school

  • Ask whether your high school or career center runs a nurse aide program. ODH lists high schools as one of the places these programs operate.
  • The ODH nurse aide certification is on Ohio's list of industry-recognized credentials that count toward high school graduation.
  • Volunteer at a nursing home first so you know what the work looks like before you commit to training.

Where this comes from: Ohio Department of Health: Nurse aide training and the Nurse Aide Registry · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: industry-recognized credentials, Health career field · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Health Science career field (career-tech). Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.

The money

What it pays in Ohio

Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.

$39,010
Median pay in Ohio, a year
$18.76
Median pay in Ohio, an hour
63,280
People doing this job in Ohio
$39,250
Median pay in the Akron area, a year

Most people in Ohio earn between $35,060 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $46,570 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio and Akron, OH metro area. Median means half earn more and half earn less.

Try it this week

Try one hour of real care work

  1. Arrange a volunteer visit at a nursing home or senior center this week.

  2. Help at a meal: setting up, opening containers, chatting, cleaning up.

  3. Notice how long it takes to help one person who moves slowly, and how you feel about that pace.

  4. Ask an aide on shift what the hardest part of their day is.

Questions to ask somebody who does it

  • How many residents do you care for on a shift?
  • Did your employer pay for your training?
  • How do you protect your back?
  • What keeps you coming back on the hard days?
  • Are you using this as a step toward nursing?

Can you own one?

Not really: this job is almost always done for an employer.

Questions

Quick answers

How much does a nursing assistant (STNA) make in Ohio?
The median pay for a nursing assistant (STNA) in Ohio is $39,010 a year ($18.76 an hour), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $35,060 and $46,570.
How do you become a nursing assistant (STNA) in Ohio?
Find an ODH-licensed training program. Ask who pays. Pass the state competency evaluation. Get listed on the Nurse Aide Registry.

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