Career comparison
LPN vs. CNA
Licensed practical nurse (LPN) vs. nursing assistant
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) earn more: a median of $64,400, $22,140 (52%) above nursing assistants at $42,260.
Both are projected to grow at a similar pace through 2035 (+3% and +3%).
Getting in is slower for licensed practical nurses (LPNs): about 14 months vs. 3 months for someone with a bachelor's in another field.
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Nursing assistantLicensed practical nurse (LPN)
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At a glance
| Licensed practical nurse (LPN) | Nursing assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $64,400 | $42,260 |
| Top 10% earn over | $83,440 | $51,980 |
| Growth to 2035 | +3% | +3% |
| Openings per year | 51,800 | 196,200 |
| Jobs today | 666,900 | 1,505,900 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Time to qualify* | 14 months | 3 months |
| Training cost* | $10K–$36K | $900–$2.7K |
* Starting from a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
The real difference
CNAs (certified nursing assistants) help patients with daily living: bathing, dressing, eating, moving, and taking vital signs, under a nurse's supervision. LPNs do more clinical work: giving medications in most states, wound care, monitoring and reporting changes, and often supervising CNAs. A CNA program is a state-approved course of a few weeks (federal minimum 75 hours) plus a competency exam; an LPN program takes about a year plus the NCLEX-PN. Many LPN students work as CNAs while in school.
Pay
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
Nursing assistant
Getting in
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
- Entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Required: NCLEX-PN exam · State LPN/LVN license
Nursing assistant
- Entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Required: State nurse aide competency exam · Listing on the state nurse aide registry
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Licensed practical nurse (LPN): 15% usually work over 40 hours a weekNursing assistant: 15% usually work over 40 hours a week
Licensed practical nurse (LPN): core tasks
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
Nursing assistant: core tasks
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
- Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
- Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
Skills: what carries over
Both rely on: Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring.
New for a licensed practical nurse (LPN) moving to nursing assistant: Active Learning.
New for a nursing assistant moving to licensed practical nurse (LPN): Time Management.
Interests (Holland codes): Licensed practical nurse (LPN): Social, Realistic, Conventional. Nursing assistant: Social, Realistic, Conventional.
Outlook to 2035, and AI
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
+3%
about as fast as average · 51,800 openings a year
BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.
Nursing assistant
+3%
about as fast as average · 196,200 openings a year
BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.
Quoted notes: BLS Employment Projections, factors affecting occupational utilization (Table 1.12). Average growth across all jobs: +3.5%.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an LPN and a CNA?
CNAs (certified nursing assistants) help patients with daily living: bathing, dressing, eating, moving, and taking vital signs, under a nurse's supervision. LPNs do more clinical work: giving medications in most states, wound care, monitoring and reporting changes, and often supervising CNAs. A CNA program is a state-approved course of a few weeks (federal minimum 75 hours) plus a competency exam; an LPN program takes about a year plus the NCLEX-PN. Many LPN students work as CNAs while in school.
Who makes more, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a nursing assistant?
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) earn more: a median of $64,400, $22,140 (52%) above nursing assistants at $42,260.
Which has the better job outlook?
Both are projected to grow at a similar pace through 2035 (+3% and +3%).
How long does it take to become a nursing assistant?
For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 3 months, with tuition of roughly $900 to $2,700. Required: State nurse aide competency exam, Listing on the state nurse aide registry.
How long does it take to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN)?
For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 14 months, with tuition of roughly $10,400 to $36,000. Required: NCLEX-PN exam, State LPN/LVN license.
How do I become an LPN if I'm already a CNA?
Enroll in a state-approved practical nursing program; some give credit for CNA training or offer CNA-to-LPN tracks. After graduating you take the NCLEX-PN. Many students keep CNA shifts while studying.