Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in Washington, DC
Certified nursing assistants in Washington, DC see posted pay of about $20.61 to $33 an hour, well above the District's $18.40 minimum, with hiring at Sibley Memorial in upper Northwest and at nursing homes from Capitol Hill to Ward 8. Here are the current openings, then who is hiring and how to get certified.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in Washington, DC
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Certified Nursing Assistant Work in Washington
CNA jobs in the District split between hospitals and long-term care. On the hospital side, Sibley Memorial in the Palisades hires CNAs as patient care and clinical technicians on its med/surg, ICU, oncology and emergency units, and Children's National, next to the Irving Street medical campus, staffs patient care technicians who come in with CNA training. On the long-term care side, skilled nursing homes such as Stanton Park on 7th Street NE near Capitol Hill and Harborside on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW in Ward 8 run around-the-clock day and night shifts for nurse aides.
The local twist is the credential. Employers here ask for an active DC CNA certification and a listing on the DC Nurse Aide Registry, and because the District requires pay ranges in job ads, most postings show exactly what the job pays. Nursing home shifts commonly run 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., and many healthcare workers commute in from Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland.
Top Washington Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
These DC employers have posted CNA roles, or roles that require CNA certification, on their own hiring sites:
- Sibley Memorial Hospital - the Johns Hopkins hospital in upper Northwest hires clinical and patient care technicians who must hold a DC CNA license, including at its Grand Oaks residence.
- Stanton Park Health & Rehabilitation - a skilled nursing center on 7th Street NE hiring full- and part-time CNAs on 12-hour day and night shifts.
- Harborside Health & Rehabilitation - a Ward 8 nursing and rehab center on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW hiring CNAs with an active DC certification.
- Armed Forces Retirement Home - the federal retirement community for veterans hires certified nursing assistants at GS-5 for its Washington campus through USAJOBS.
- Children's National Hospital - the pediatric system hires patient care technicians with formal CNA training and certification to support its nurses.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Washington
- Entry level: about $20.50 to $23 per hour for newly certified aides.
- Experienced: roughly $23 to $29 per hour in nursing homes, federal care and hospitals.
- Senior / top of range: about $29 to $33 per hour for long-tenured hospital technicians.
These are estimates drawn from pay ranges in current and recent DC postings. Hospital technician roles at Sibley post the highest ceiling, nursing homes add shift differentials for nights and weekends, and federal jobs move up through GS steps with retirement and leave. Specialty experience such as ICU, oncology or emergency work also pushes pay up.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Washington
You must be at least 18, complete a nurse aide training program approved by the DC Board of Nursing, and pass the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam, which you register for through Credentia. The DC Board of Nursing, part of DC Health, then certifies you and lists you on the DC Nurse Aide Registry. Local training options on DC Health's list of nurse aide training programs include UDC Community College at its Lamond-Riggs campus on South Dakota Avenue NE, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School on V Street NE, Academy of Hope on 18th Place NE and Time for Change on Xenia Street SW.
What the Job Involves
CNAs help patients and residents bathe, dress, eat, move and use the bathroom, take and record vital signs, reposition people to prevent pressure injuries, and report changes to the nurse. In a hospital you may also help with specimen collection, room turnover and patient transport; in a nursing home you build steady relationships with the same residents shift after shift.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active DC CNA certification and Nurse Aide Registry listing
- Current BLS / CPR certification
- Safe lifting, transfers and fall prevention
- Accurate vital signs and charting
- Patience and respect with older adults and children
- Reliability on nights, weekends and holidays
Career Path and Advancement
Many DC aides start in a nursing home, move to a hospital technician role at a system like Sibley for higher pay and specialty experience, and then go back to school. The common next step is the Practical Nursing Certificate at UDC Community College, which leads to an LPN license, and from there the LPN-to-AASN path toward becoming a registered nurse at the hospitals on the Irving Street campus and across the District.
Related Careers in Washington
If nurse aide work interests you, these Washington guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a DC certification to work as a CNA in Washington?
Yes. Nurse aides in the District are certified by the DC Board of Nursing and listed on the DC Nurse Aide Registry, and local employers such as Stanton Park, Harborside and Sibley ask for an active DC CNA certification in their postings.
How much do CNAs make in Washington, DC?
Current DC postings show roughly $20.61 to $33 an hour. Nursing homes post about $20.61 to $30.62, Sibley's technician roles run about $21.44 to $33.24, and shift differentials add more on nights and weekends.
How do I take the CNA exam in DC?
After finishing an approved training program, you register with Credentia to take the NNAAP exam, which has a knowledge test and a skills test. DC's workforce agency lists the exam fee at $55.
How often do I renew a DC CNA certification?
Every two years. DC rules call for 24 hours of continuing education or in-service training in each cycle and at least 8 hours of paid nurse aide work, and a criminal background check is part of renewal.
Can a CNA become a nurse in Washington?
Yes. Many DC aides go on to UDC Community College's Practical Nursing Certificate to become an LPN, then continue to an associate degree in nursing and the NCLEX-RN. Hospital technician experience makes nursing school applications stronger.
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