What Is The Difference Between CNA And CMA?

Are you still wondering and considering when choosing a  career in healthcare? If so, are you on the way to decide which career occupation is the most suitable for you? The healthcare-associated industry is an indispensable field that offers a wide range of career job opportunities for individuals with a variety of education levels. In this article, we will discuss the significant difference between CNA and CMA jobs. By reviewing CNA and CMA job training, salary, duties other factors, hope that you are able to decide which is the most suitable career.

Introduce

 

What is CNA? 

CNA (which stands for Certified Nursing Assistant) is a nationally certificated nursing certification for nurses or medical-associated staff. The Certification Program (CNA for short) is the combination of approximately 22 nursing specialties.

CNA is an indispensable position in any hospital or nursing-associate organization. CNAs have a wide range of responsibilities that make them become a key part of the patients’ healthcare process. Even though being a CNA is often regarded as an entry-level position, it is a wonderful stepping stone for an individual to other healthcare professions or the promotion in their career. Being a CNA can help anyone prepare carefully for their nursing or healthcare-related management work, and is a wonderful place to take the first step in your own career. 

Visit our websites to get more information about CNA Test and free CNA practice exam or download it for your IOS or Android device.

What is CMA?

Whereas, CMA (which is short for Certified Management Accountant) is a financial accounting and strategic management certification. moreover, unlike other accounting certifications, CMA is now internationally recognized with a particular focus on corporating-related finance and accounting management. This type of certification is provided by the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) which has reached approximately 140 nations all over the world. Therefore, it can be considered beneficial to take a short viewpoint of CMA before we dive into how it can enrich your career.

The CMAs career is often engaged in the accounting for finance strategy department of organizations or businesses. They take charge of analyzing data from various sources to achieve performance improvement. Besides, they also make contributions to business decisions by getting insights into the financial state of the organizations. CMAs often take charge as accountants, risk managers, budgeters, corporate accountants, FP&A managers, Management accountants, financial strategists, and executive decision-makers.

Training of CNA and CMA

What are the most significant differences between CNA and a CMA? Although both of these positions have similarities in their name, they still have several differences, starting with training.

To become a professional CNA, a person has to complete 75 hours of the training course before taking an official certification test. Only when passing this test, candidates can become certificated CNAs and ready to join the labor market.

The CMA, on the other hand, needs to complete a 1-year certification degree. If they can not complete this degree, they have to take a 2-year associate degree before being allowed to work in this field.

Salary level of CNA and CMA

• CNA

In the US, a CNA can earn an average of $28,540 per year in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. CNAs earned an average hourly wage of $13.72 per hour. Nursing assistant employment is expected to rise by 11% between 2016 and 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, thus the career outlook for this healthcare position appears to be extremely promising.

You can get more in our blog  CNA Salary – How much does a CNA make?

When compared to 2015 statistics, when the average pay for nursing assistants was $26,820, the new nursing assistant salary average shows a 6.41 percent rise in earnings. 

Percentile	0.1	0.25	50% (Median)	0.75	0.9
Hourly Wage	$9.94	$11.22	$13.23	$15.49	$18.57
Annual Wage	$20,680	$23,330	$27,520	$32,220	$38,630

Below is the list of states that witness the highest average salary level for CNAs.

State	Employment	Employment per thousand occupations	Location quotient	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
Alaska	1.85	5.81	0.57	$18.24	$37,950
New York	94.98	10.32	2021-01-01 00:00:00	$16.87	$35,080
Nevada	6.55	5.00	0.49	$16.58	$34,480
District of Columbia	3.16	4.46	0.44	$16.43	$34,170
California	98.57	5.90	0.58	$16.13	$33,560

• CMA

In 2021, IMA Global Salary Survey has collected data from approximately 3,000 IMA members in more than 70 different nations all over the world. According to this survey, among the variety of levels of management, individuals with CMA certification can earn more than their non-certified. CMAs in lower management earn 90% more in median base salary compared to non-CMAs at the same level. Those in senior management had the smallest difference between the median base salary of CMAs vs. non-CMAs (CMAs earn 13% more compared to non-CMAs).

Averagely, people working in the CMA field can earn between $30,000 and $35,000/year. The top manager holding the CMA certification can earn 64% more salary in comparison with non-CMA holders, at the same level. Furthermore, people who hold the CMA certification tend to be considered to be specific occupation titles compared to non-CMA holders. A higher proportion of CMA holders are managers (66%%), CFOs (72%), and directors (73%).

The duties of CNA and CMA

CNA

Under the supervision of a nurse in charge, a certified nursing assistant, often known as a nurse assistant or CNA, supports patients with different activities in hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities. CNAs frequently assist patients in their care with daily tasks such as showering, toileting, clothing, and so on. Certified nursing assistants are also responsible for administering medications and ensuring the comfort and safety of patients. Certified nursing assistants are often required to provide hands-on direct patient care that ensures the basic care and comfort of patients

Besides, you can try to visit our blog What Are CNA Duties In Hospitals?

To be more specific, some CNA responsibilities are:

• Bathe, dress-wearing, and patients feeding as needed
• Monitor and record any vital signs of patients before reporting to the direct nurse
• Keep the patient’s personal living space clean (make beds, empty the trash or some other kinds of stuff)
• Assist patients with transferring from bed to chair as needed
• Assist with walking, as needed
• Provide transportation for patients to and from medical institutions

CMA

In essence, CMAs are needed in any organization, business as well as the government agency. They take responsibility for analyzing and counting data from a wide range of data sources for the purpose of achieving performance improvement. Furthermore, they also make contributions to business decisions by getting insights into the financial state of the organizations. CMAs often take charge as accountants, risk managers, budgeters, corporate accountants, FP&A managers, Management accountants, financial strategists, and executive decision-makers.

Given the broad nature of their skills and experience, CMA holders have the developing potential in numerous types of industries, including Manufacturing, Communications and utility services, Medical and health services, Educational services, Construction, Finance, and so on.

Here are several occupation duties that CMAs need to perform when working across every industry:

• Cost and risk management
• Performance strategy and management
• Profitability and data analysis
• Investment decision-making
• Internal and external controls
• Financial reporting and analysis
• Data planning and budgeting

Why should we become CNA and CMA?

CNA

With the increasing health care demands, CNAs are playing an increasingly important role in the health care system, supporting the recovery process and effective treatment for patients. Here are the reasons you should choose to become a CNA:

• CNAs don’t worry about unemployment, even during a pandemic!

No matter how much society develops in science and technology, the medical team in charge of taking care of people’s health still plays an indispensable role. Particularly in the European region, the elderly population accounts for a large proportion, so these countries are facing a serious shortage of caregivers, so the demand for CNA recruitment is always there. Considering the current situation of the Covid-19 epidemic raging around the world, CNA work is more important than ever. Therefore, if you actively choose to pursue a CNA job right now, you will never have to worry about unemployment, even during a pandemic such as Covid-19.

• CNA is a meaningful job

Together with the medical team, CNA’s job is to help patients quickly recover health and fitness. In patient care, CNAs account for 70% of the workload and often come into contact with patients, so they play an important role in the patient’s recovery process.

Elderly patients who have to be treated alone without a loved one will face more physical and mental difficulties during treatment, so CNAs not only help patients in daily activities. but also contribute to alleviating their loneliness in their battle with the disease. In addition to professional skills, CNAs also need tolerance and perseverance to be able to do this job well.

• Attractive training program

Although it is in the same field of Health, the entry standard of CNA is not as high as that of Medicine or Pharmacy. A CNA training course usually lasts only 6-10 weeks, much shorter than training programs in the medical profession. The competency assessment test is also considered to be suitable for the capacity of CNAs. The CNA program is basically not too difficult, but you still need to have perseverance and constantly train yourself to be able to follow the profession.

• CNAs have a good salary

The salary of CNAs will basically vary depending on the regime of each hospital. But according to experts in the industry, CNA is a profession with a high and stable income. A certificated CNA can earn between $25,000 and $30,000/year.

CMA

The CMA certification ensures that all professionals are able to work in the strategic financial departments in any business or organization. Individuals who work in the CMA field tend to earn a well-paid annual salary and receive several significant benefits, such as:

• Credibility

Like other certifications in finance accounting, the CMA illustrates the competency and ability of an individual who works in this field. It is also recognized in various nations, including the US, UK, or other developed countries all over the world, making it become a globally certificated credential.

• Potential in making money

Individuals working in the CMA field often tend to be considered for higher-paying positions because finance is always an indispensable important aspect of every organization or business. International research which was held in 2019 illustrates that CMAs can earn approximately 117% higher salaries than other same positions without this type of certification.

• More occupation opportunities

CMA certification can let the occupation candidates more versatile, and even more appealing to employers of organizations. Individuals who get the CMA certification also tend to become members working in the IMA, which means that they can have more opportunities to network and pay attention to occupation opportunities.

• Advancement in career

 Employers in every organization tend to prefer candidates who have leadership and administrative skills for coming to upper-level positions. The CMA certification examination requires the candidates have strategic thinking and decision-making skill, which is necessary for anyone working in management positions.

• Job security

With the competition of AI and automated systems which can be considered to be a good alternative for humans, it is necessary for professionals to distinguish themselves from others in the labor market. This certification focus on critical thinking skill, which allows the CMA holders to have the strategic ability but not only count numbers.

Requirements of CNA and CMA

CNA

• Good professional expertise

To become a CNA, before all, you need to be trained in a reputable, quality school in Nursing or have signal affiliation certificates. This ensures that you are qualified to take charge of the CNA’s duties during the course of your work without making serious mistakes. Not only that, you must always self-improve, learn and practice all the skills related to your professional expertise to serve the job in the best way.

• Good communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal)

The main subject of contact in the work of CNA is the patient and the patient’s family, they must have good communication skills and listen to the opinions of others. When communicating with others, CNA needs to be open, friendly with the patient, able to share all the wants and needs of the patient, and provide guidance to the patient’s family. best for the patient’s state of health.

• High capacity to bear at work

In the course of work, CNA must have many stressful situations. According to research, they are the ones who face the highest risk of stress and pressure without the right legislation. They may be required to work long hours during the day or whenever required; faced many poor patients, many completely different conditions. The peculiarity of this job forces them to have a spirit, not to be afraid, to withstand the pressure of the work, and especially not for those who work at the level to affect morale. Therefore, medical staff must definitely learn to check the pressures at work, not to let themselves feel exhausted or tired every time they come to work.

• Empathize and share

Medicine is considered an important profession in today’s society. This profession is directly related to human health and life. Therefore, besides professional skills, it is important for doctors and nurses to uphold a sense of responsibility with communication skills, and behavior in the health industry, especially listening and speaking skills. understanding.

For the health sector, in order for the work of employees to be effective, it is necessary to pay attention to caring for patients attentively and thoughtfully, to avoid overwork causing serious consequences. If you do these things well, the patient will keep an optimistic spirit, supporting the treatment of the disease to be much more effective.

• Strong physicality

The work of a professional claim must be proportional and perform the tasks that must be defined. Sometimes it will be a lot of transfers for long periods of time, or having to hold a posture, upgrade patients or site servers for work… Therefore the people doing this job need to be healthy.

• Always happy

With the purpose of achieving the highest efficiency in the treatment process of patients, the CNA must provide relaxation and comfort to the patient. Therefore, CNAs must be pleasant, friendly, soft-spoken, and professional…

Maybe you want to get more about General CNA Requirements

CMA

• High professional competence

To do something well, having high professional competence is always the top priority of employers. You must have the expertise to grasp and understand the work. An employer will certainly not want to hire someone who does not know a bit about basic training from the easiest. An individual who wants to work in the field of finance and accounting must have a degree or certificate of accounting practice issued by the state or competent agencies. To become a professional CMA you need professional qualifications. This is easy to understand and also easy to see through the degree that you hold in your hand. Through the process of studying and training, you will accumulate a lot of valuable knowledge, experience, and lessons that will help you in your work.

• Observation, analysis, and synthesis skills

CMA holders always have to deal with numbers, such as: collecting documents, recording, and reporting, revenue and expenditure, etc. These things require you to be able to observe the actual situation, and make judgments in arising events, in order to analyze and synthesize them in a timely and accurate manner. CMA will be very busy in the days near the end of the month, at the end of the year because it has to summarize expenses, salaries for employees… Just one digit error can also cause great damage to the company.

• Honesty and Carefulness

The peculiarity of the CMA profession is that they often have to work with papers, data, books, etc., so if the CMA is not careful and knows how to arrange scientific work, there will certainly be a case of failure. misplace important documents or make serious errors in financial statistics. This is also a profession that is decisive to the existence and development of an enterprise, so in addition to the requirements of ethical standards, accountants need to be careful, orderly, and scientific.

Besides, honesty is also an important quality to have in a CMA. Finance or accounting jobs are closely related to the company’s revenue, so people in the profession who want to stabilize and develop their careers need to build their credibility with their superiors. If at work encounter errors, and confusion about data and reports, an honest CMA will know how to honestly solve it, be ready to be disciplined, and proactively find solutions to overcome the problem.

• The dynamism and creativity at work

A professional CMA never sits still, but always knows how to promote their acumen to observe and grasp the development trend of the market economy. From practical observations, CMAs can provide objective assessments and useful solutions to help businesses have new development orientations, and improve competitiveness with other businesses.

• Good communication skill

Communication is a bridge that helps you get closer to your superiors, closer to your colleagues through which you will learn many things from your colleagues as well as your superiors. It is also a skill that helps you to have the opportunity to advance in your career. Communication skills and skillful behavior are always necessary for each of us, not just CMA.

Above is the basic information about the difference between CNA and CMA as well as why people should follow this occupation position. We hope that you will choose the exam that suits your ability and achieve remarkable results.