The mounting pressures faced by certified nursing assistants (CNAs) represent a critical challenge in the healthcare sector today. As frontline caregivers, CNAs often experience intense work-related stress exacerbated by inadequate support systems and limited career advancement options. New research emerging from the University of Georgia presents compelling evidence that expanding professional development opportunities for CNAs can significantly alleviate burnout and reduce turnover, thereby enhancing job sustainability.
The demographic shifts resulting from an aging population have intensified the demand for long-term care services, placing CNAs in an increasingly pivotal role. Despite this rising need, the turnover rate within this workforce hovers around 27.7 percent annually, mainly driven by stress and unsatisfactory wages. This attrition not only deepens the workforce shortage but also threatens the quality of care delivered to vulnerable patient populations, including the elderly and disabled.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Georgia’s Institute of Gerontology and Institute for Disaster Management undertook a comprehensive survey involving over 200 CNAs. The study explored multiple dimensions of their professional experience, including job satisfaction, accessibility of career progression pathways, levels of professional fulfillment, and manifestations of occupational burnout. This multi-faceted approach yielded crucial insights into how current working conditions and developmental support impact CNA retention.
Anita Reina, lead author and postdoctoral researcher at UGA’s Cognitive Aging Research and Education Center, emphasized the indispensable role CNAs play in daily caregiving. According to Reina, these professionals possess a unique commitment and empathy essential for quality long-term care. However, the loss of skilled CNAs could precipitate severe deficits in patient interaction and fundamental care delivery, which underscores the urgency of addressing workforce sustainability.
A major revelation of the study was the strong correlation between access to continuing education programs and reduced burnout among CNAs. Participants who had opportunities to engage in professional development reported greater job satisfaction and felt more professionally fulfilled. Yet, alarmingly, only about a third of CNAs currently have access to such programs. This gap signals a systemic deficiency within healthcare institutions regarding career growth infrastructures for these essential workers.
The research also illuminated a pervasive dissatisfaction among CNAs concerning their advancement prospects. While CNAs generally remain committed to their chosen profession, their frustration stems from the scarcity of institutional support for upward mobility or skill enhancement. Reina noted that most workplaces lack structured professional development avenues, leaving CNAs without clear pathways to improve or diversify their credentials and responsibilities.
Interest in specialized training programs was strikingly high among the CNAs surveyed. Their priorities resounded around holistic well-being, particularly the integration of self-care techniques and mental health preservation strategies. This focus reflects growing recognition of the psychological toll exacted by caregiving roles and the critical need to equip CNAs with tools to maintain their health alongside their professional responsibilities.
Additionally, CNAs expressed a strong desire to augment their clinical competencies, especially in managing challenging patient interactions—a skill crucial for maintaining both caregiver and patient well-being. Other areas of interest included understanding broader healthcare career options accessible with their certification and strategies for effective salary negotiation, underscoring a readiness to engage actively in career development.
Reina advocates for healthcare systems to institutionalize continuing education and leadership training tailored for CNAs. Such programs could empower CNAs by validating their expertise and granting them a more influential voice within their workplaces. This empowerment could serve as a vital mechanism to boost morale, retention, and ultimately, patient care quality.
Broader implementation of supportive programs has the potential to transform the CNA workforce landscape. By investing in skill enhancement and well-being-focused education, healthcare providers can foster a more resilient and dedicated caregiving workforce. This, in turn, may mitigate the bottlenecks posed by workforce shortages and high turnover, securing the sustainability of essential care services for future generations.
The implications of this research extend beyond immediate workforce concerns, touching upon public health policy and healthcare delivery models. Integrating career progression opportunities for CNAs aligns with efforts to professionalize caregiving roles, reduce disparities in healthcare provision, and improve patient outcomes. It also serves as a strategic response to the escalating demands placed on long-term care systems by aging populations.
Published in the journal Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, this study spearheaded by Anita Reina and her colleagues, including Ashley N. Adawi Suker, Fiona Douglas, Kerstin Emerson, Ke’von T. Hamilton, Austin D. Dobbs, Curtis Harris, Jenay M. Beer, and Lisa M. Renzi-Hammond, charts a course for reimagining CNA career trajectories. Their work provides an empirical foundation for policy initiatives and institutional reforms aimed at valorizing and supporting these frontline healthcare workers.
In sum, enhancing professional growth prospects and well-being support for certified nursing assistants is a critical pathway to fostering a stable, motivated, and competent healthcare workforce. This, in turn, promises to sustain high-quality long-term care for the most vulnerable populations, ultimately benefiting healthcare systems at large.
Subject of Research: Certified nursing assistants’ career satisfaction, burnout, professional fulfillment, and access to continuing education programs.
Article Title: Assessing certified nursing assistants’ interest in well-being-oriented continuing education to improve job sustainability and career progression
News Publication Date: 7-May-2025
Web References:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02701960.2025.2500092
https://publichealth.uga.edu/research/research-institutes/institute-of-gerontology/
https://idm.publichealth.uga.edu/
https://carecenter.uga.edu/
https://publichealth.uga.edu/
References:
Reina A., Adawi Suker A. N., Douglas F., Emerson K., Hamilton K. T., Dobbs A. D., Harris C., Beer J. M., Renzi-Hammond L. M. (2025). Assessing certified nursing assistants’ interest in well-being-oriented continuing education to improve job sustainability and career progression. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education. DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2025.2500092
Keywords: Health care, Caregivers, Health care policy, Certified nursing assistants, Professional development, Burnout, Continuing education, Job satisfaction, Long-term care
