Nursing assistant: what future for this essential profession?

Indispensable in many care structures, but also in patients’ homes, the job of caregiver is nevertheless increasingly deserted by young people and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find trained staff. So how is it that the sector is in such a crisis? What are the solutions implemented? How to become nurse’s aide ? Answers!

Shortage of caregivers: the sector in crisis

In hospitals, as in many other structures, it seems increasingly difficult to recruit a nursing assistant or a nursing assistant. The figures speak for themselves with 3% vacancies in hospitals and 13% in nursing homes. A shortage of caregivers in France whose patients are the first to suffer.

With regard to the causes of this shortage ofcaregivers in France, they have been identified for a long time. First of all, the working conditions have been singled out for several years by the staff. The intensification of work and the lack of means do not make the profession attractive to young people, and all the more so since the start of the pandemic.

In addition, it is also the salary of the caregiver which is in question. The latter is indeed not up to the expectations of the staff who also regularly demand better remuneration and more recognition in general. The average salary of a nursing assistant at the start of their career is around €1,760 (and this, including the salary increase which was voted in 2020, more information on the subject here). After five years of career, the average salary of a nursing assistant is approximately €1,838 net.

Massive recruitment for the years to come

The hospitals, but also and above all the nursing home implement recruitment campaigns aimed at alleviating the shortages of caregivers in France. The objective is therefore more than ever to find personnel, but also to generate vocations among young people in order to be able to carry out massive recruitment in the years to come.

The training of nursing assistants being of rather short duration, if enough candidates present themselves and graduate, we can hope to see the effects of this shortage diminish in the short term. That said, the issues that make the profession unattractive in the eyes of young people must also be taken into account in order to restore interest in the profession.

If a massive recruitment is planned in the future, people with a state diploma of nursing assistant today will have no difficulty in finding a position, whether as a replacement to lend a hand to the hospital centers in this period of Covid-19 or over the longer term.

Training and competitions for recruitment

The training centers therefore have a strong responsibility for the years to come: to make the profession of nursing assistant more attractive to young people in order to encourage vocations and train future health professionals.

Admission to nursing assistant training is based on application and interview. Several knowledge and skills are necessary in order to be able to access the course. Once received, the candidate will receive theoretical and practical training in order to obtain the State diploma of nursing assistant (more information on the DEAS here). The nursing assistant training and the diploma then allow you to work in many different structures in order to find the environment that meets your expectations.

It is also possible to continue your career by preparing, for example, the State Diploma in Nursing if desired. There are therefore real prospects for development when one decides to train as a caregiver or more generally to opt for the profession of health professional.