What Is an STNA?

An STNA – is a medical professional that is also called a nurse aid.

These specialists work with other medical professionals in order to provide patients with the required care.

Most people don’t even hear the term STNA as it is a person who’ve been state-tested to perform nurse aid duties in Ohio.

In fact, STNA is pretty much the same as CNA, NA, and LNA.

The only thing that makes a difference in the state where the person gets a license and works.

Delaware, Florida, and Maine use the CNA title.

Speaking of NAs, they work in Connecticut and New Jersey while in Ohio, they are called State Tested Nursing Aides or State Tested Nurse Assistants.

It is the only state that STNA acronym for nurse aides or assistants.

STNA Responsibilities And Duties

An STNA is a medical professional that completed a certain amount of training and obtained some required skills.

These specialists assist nurses and doctors to help them take care of their patients.

There is a whole bunch of duties performed by STNA including such points as:

• assisting with cleaning and dressing wounds;
• bathing and grooming patients;
• changing bedding;
• feeding or assisting patients with meals;
• helping with ambulation;
• monitoring patients throughout their shift;
• recording and monitoring patient vital signs;
• setting up and assisting with medical procedures.

Soma STNAs may work in hospitals and clinics but mainly they are employed in long-term care facilities and nursing homes.

STNAs cannot provide such services as medication prescription of performing medical procedures on their own.

To be able to work in this sphere, an individual needs to complete a training program, as well as pass a certification exam and criminal background check.

After it, they can obtain their state license and start working as an STNA.

State-Tested Nurse Assistant Training Options

There is a variety of educational facilities that provide STNA training programs and classes.

Among the available options, there are technical schools, community colleges, high schools, and even some hospitals.

Also, it is available at the American Red Cross facilities.

Lots of places provide some free STNA training classes in the state of Ohio.

Moreover, those individuals who want to obtain their STNA license can use numerous websites and services to get ready for the certification exam.

It is a great opportunity to reveal your weak points and determine those aspects you need to pay more attention to before the exam.

How Long Does it Take to Get STNA Certification?

Before enrolling in the STNA certification exam, it is important to consider some requirements.

First of all, the successful completion of the Nurse Aide Training Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) is required.

According to the state laws, it should contain 75 hours of training that include 59 hours of classes and 16 hours of supervised working experience.

Only after completing 16 hours of training, students have a possibility to interact with patients directly.

Usually, to complete the NATCEP, you need about several weeks of training.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) issues a Certificate of Completion to those students who’ve completed their training successfully.

After it, students can apply for the Ohio Nurse Aide Skills Test that is administrated by the ODH and managed by D&S Diversified Technologies.

The last one has a bunch of sites all over the state where students can take their exams.

During the test, all applicants need to answer 79 written questions related to 5 nursing aid skilled areas.

Each applicant has 90 minutes to answer the questions and complete the exam.

Only after successful completion of this exam, candidates can enroll in the Ohio Nurse Aid Registry.

STNA Salary in Ohio

Speaking of the CNAs and STNAs’ salaries, they vary from one state to another.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nursing assistant’s salary across the country varies from $20 680 to $38 630.

The average salary of nursing assistants all over the country is about $28 540 per year.

Speaking of STNAs, their average annual salary is about $26 740 which is about $12,85 per hour.

There are lots of aspects that influence salary including such things as training, experience, employer, and, of course, location.

The last one has a great impact on salary wages.

The highest is in Alaska where it is about $37 960 per year.

Speaking of the lowest one, it is in Louisiana, where nurse assistants earn about $21 880 per year.

Career Outlook for STNAs

Considering the rapid growth of the aging population, CNAs and STNAs are in great demand the increases constantly.

The only thing that can limit their career options is government-funded agencies that employ most part of these specialists.

The government tries to decrease its spendings and as a result, such programs as Medicare and Medicaid are less financed.

As a result, many patients find it more difficult to pay for their care.

Nevertheless, there is a great demand for qualified CNAs and STNAs in clinics and hospitals.

According to the BLS, we can expect a significant growth (about 11%) of job offers for CNAs by 2026.

Speaking of STNAs they can expect about 5,2% growth in the nearest future.

As you can see, Ohio has smaller growth rates than national ones but it may be because it is a small state.

In fact, 5,2% – it is about 3 580 new job offers for STNAs all over the state.

Read more: How to Become a Nurse Assistant