Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in Denver, CO
Certified nursing assistants in Denver typically earn $20 to $28 an hour, with the metro median near $23.60, and hospitals such as Denver Health and AdventHealth Porter consider newly certified aides. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get certified in Colorado.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in Denver, CO
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Certified Nursing Assistant Work in Denver
Denver CNA work splits between hospital units and senior living. On the hospital side, Denver Health staffs CNAs across its acute care floors at the 777 Bannock campus near the Golden Triangle, including ortho trauma, MICU, SICU and med/surg, while AdventHealth Porter on South Downing Street runs a CNA float pool and a virtual sitter team in south Denver. The VA's Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center, next to the Anschutz campus in Aurora, hires nursing assistants on federal pay grades.
The other half of the market sits in the south suburbs along I-25 and C-470, where continuing care communities such as Someren Glen in Centennial and Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch staff skilled nursing and assisted living around the clock. Inside city limits Denver's own minimum wage of $19.29 an hour sets a higher floor than the Colorado rate of $15.16, but posted CNA pay across the metro already sits above both.
Top Denver Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
These Denver-area employers have CNA openings or CNA recruiting pages on their own careers sites:
- Denver Health - the city's safety-net hospital hires CNAs for acute care, ICU and float roles and says newly certified aides will be considered.
- AdventHealth Porter - the south Denver hospital posts CNA float pool and virtual sitter roles with a float differential.
- VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System - the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora hires nursing assistants, including acute care, on the GS scale.
- Christian Living Communities - the nonprofit senior living operator hires CNAs on day and evening shifts at The Suites at Someren Glen in Centennial.
- Erickson Senior Living - Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch hires CNAs for skilled nursing, including a 7pm to 11pm shift with a sign-on bonus.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Denver
- Entry level: about $20 to $22 per hour for newly certified aides.
- Experienced: roughly $23 to $25 per hour, around the metro median.
- Senior / top of range: $26 to $30 per hour for experienced float, night and hospital CNAs.
These are estimates drawn from federal wage data for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro and from ranges Denver employers post themselves. Shift and unit move pay the most: AdventHealth adds $1.50 an hour for float pool work, Wind Crest adds $1 an hour for its evening shift and offers a $1,500 sign-on bonus, and VA nursing assistants are paid on federal GS-3 to GS-5 grades.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Denver
Colorado CNAs are certified by the Colorado Board of Nursing, part of the Division of Professions and Occupations at the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). You complete a state-approved nurse aide training program, which under board rules runs at least 75 hours with classroom and supervised clinical time, then pass the nurse aide competency exam, a written or oral test plus a skills test administered by Credentia. Both parts must be passed within 24 months of applying. In Denver, the Community College of Denver offers a 5-credit Nurse Aide Certificate that meets twice a week for 7.5 weeks or once a week for 15 weeks, at the Auraria Campus downtown and the Center for Health Sciences at Lowry. Hospitals also ask for an American Heart Association BLS card. Colorado CNA certificates expire January 31 of odd-numbered years, and you must log at least 8 hours of paid CNA work each renewal cycle.
What the Job Involves
CNAs handle the hands-on care that keeps patients safe and comfortable. A typical shift includes taking and charting vital signs, helping patients bathe, dress, eat and use the bathroom, turning and repositioning bed-bound patients, walking patients after surgery, answering call lights, and reporting changes in condition to the nurse in charge. In senior living, the same work builds long relationships with residents over months and years.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Colorado CNA certification
- American Heart Association BLS certification
- Accurate vital signs and charting in an electronic record
- Safe lifting, transfers and fall prevention
- Patience and clear communication with patients and families
- Reliability on evening, night and weekend shifts
Career Path and Advancement
For many Denver nurses, CNA is the first rung. Aides often move into float pool or ICU support roles for higher pay, then into the Practical Nursing certificate at the Community College of Denver's Lowry campus to become an LPN. From there, RN programs at CU Anschutz, MSU Denver on the Auraria Campus and Regis University in northwest Denver open the path to registered nursing, and Denver Health offers tuition reimbursement to employees who make that climb.
Related Careers in Denver
If CNA work interests you, these related Denver roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a certification to work as a CNA in Denver?
Yes. To work as a certified nursing assistant in Colorado you need certification from the Colorado Board of Nursing, earned by finishing a state-approved training program and passing the Credentia-administered competency exam. Denver hospitals also require a current BLS card.
How much do CNAs make in Denver?
Federal wage data puts the Denver metro median for nursing assistants at about $23.60 an hour. Newly certified aides generally start around $20 to $22, and experienced hospital and float CNAs can reach $26 to $30 with differentials.
How long does CNA training take in Denver?
The Community College of Denver's Nurse Aide Certificate runs 7.5 weeks on a twice-weekly schedule or 15 weeks meeting once a week. After the course you still need to schedule and pass both parts of the state exam.
Can newly certified CNAs get hired at Denver hospitals?
Yes. Denver Health states that newly certified CNAs will be considered for its openings, and senior living communities across the south metro regularly hire new aides. Having your BLS card in hand before you apply speeds things up.
Do CNA jobs in Denver pay more for evenings and float work?
Often. Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch adds $1 an hour for its 7pm to 11pm skilled nursing shift, and AdventHealth Porter adds $1.50 an hour for float pool CNAs. Ask about differentials when you compare offers.
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