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Nursing assistant
The nursing assistant plays a central role in the day-to-day life of healthcare facilities. Working in close contact with patients, they provide essential basic care that supports comfort, hygiene, and the well-being of those in their care.
Missions: Nursing assistant
The duties of a nursing assistant focus on the daily support of patients and contributing to care, in close coordination with the medical team. Their role is to ensure a reassuring, clean environment that is adapted to the needs of each person in their care.
On a day-to-day basis, the nursing assistant provides hygiene and comfort care. They assist patients with washing, dressing, meals, and mobility, taking into account each person’s level of independence. These tasks, often seen as simple, are essential to preserving patients’ dignity, well-being, and health.
Nursing assistants also play a key role in observation. Through constant contact with patients, they are often the first to notice a change in condition, pain, unusual fatigue, or a change in behavior. This information is then passed on to nurses so that care can be adjusted if necessary.
Teamwork is a core part of the role. Nursing assistants work closely with nurses, doctors, hospital support staff, and other healthcare professionals to ensure continuity of care. They contribute to the organization of the unit, compliance with protocols, and patient safety.
Finally, the relational aspect is ever-present. Listening, reassuring, explaining, and supporting are integral parts of the job. Whether in a hospital, a nursing home, or a medico-social facility, nursing assistants help maintain an essential human connection, particularly for vulnerable or isolated people.
Researched profile
- Empathy and strong interpersonal skills to support vulnerable patients with respect and kindness
- Physical endurance, as the pace is demanding and workdays can be physically challenging
- Rigor and a strong sense of observation to apply hygiene rules and detect any change in a patient’s condition
- Team spirit to communicate effectively with nurses and ensure continuity of care
Skills and training
The skills of a nursing assistant are based on a balance between technical know-how, a strong sense of observation, and interpersonal qualities. On a daily basis, they must be able to carry out hygiene and comfort care in strict compliance with protocols, while ensuring patient safety, privacy, and dignity. These tasks require precision, method, and a solid understanding of aseptic rules.
Nursing assistants also play an essential role in monitoring patients’ health conditions. Through direct and continuous contact with patients, they observe overall condition, mobility, behavior, or the appearance of pain, and then pass this information on to the nursing team. This ability to observe and communicate directly contributes to the quality and continuity of care.
In addition, nursing assistants provide daily support. They help patients with everyday activities while aiming to preserve their autonomy, adapting to each situation and each individual. Finally, the role requires a strong ability to work as part of a team. Communication with nurses and other healthcare professionals is essential to ensure coherent, safe, and humane patient care.
Training to become a nursing assistant
Training to become a nursing assistant is accessible and strongly practice-oriented. It is based on obtaining the State Diploma of Nursing Assistant (DEAS), which is mandatory to practice the profession. The training takes place in a nursing assistant training institute and combines theoretical instruction with practical placements.
The program provides the essential foundations of the profession, including hygiene and comfort care, support for dependent individuals, communication with patients, and teamwork within healthcare settings. Work placements play a central role in the training, as they quickly expose students to real-life working conditions in hospitals, nursing homes, or medico-social facilities.
The training is accessible without any prior diploma, following a selection process, making it a profession open to career changers. Exemptions or reduced training paths may exist depending on previous experience, particularly for those from the health and social care sectors. Once qualified, nursing assistants can enter the workforce quickly, with strong employment opportunities, or choose to pursue further career development.
What is the salary of a nursing assistant?
The salary of a nursing assistant mainly depends on the sector (public or private), seniority, type of establishment (hospital, nursing home, clinic), and bonuses related to working hours. In the public hospital sector, base pay follows a salary scale. As a reference, a nursing assistant at the start of their career earns around €1,836.20 gross per month (excluding bonuses). In the private sector, there is no single standard salary, as minimum pay depends on the applicable collective agreement and pay grade. For example, in the private hospital collective agreement (IDCC 2264), minimum salaries are defined by coefficients. Actual earnings often increase through bonuses and premiums for night work, Sundays, public holidays, or specific constraints. In the public hospital system, the night work allowance is regulated and calculated as 25% of the indexed salary (and possibly the residence allowance), annualized and divided by 1,820.
Nursing assistant in temporary work assignments: specific features and benefits
Working as a temporary nursing assistant means taking on replacement assignments in hospitals, clinics, or nursing homes, with greater flexibility in scheduling and the opportunity to work in different departments. It is also an effective way to quickly gain experience by discovering different working rhythms and team organizations.
In terms of pay, temporary work includes additional end-of-assignment payments. The end-of-assignment bonus (IFM) generally represents 10% of gross pay, while the paid leave compensation (ICCP) is at least one tenth of total gross earnings and, in practice, is very often also set at 10%, including in temporary work.
Simple example: for an assignment paid €2,000 gross, the IFM amounts to €200. The ICCP is then calculated on the gross pay (often including the IFM), adding around €220. In total, this represents approximately €420 in additional pay at the end of the assignment, excluding specific cases.
Career progression opportunities for a nursing assistant
The nursing assistant profession offers real opportunities for career development for those who wish to pursue them. With experience, a nursing assistant can take on more responsibilities within a department, become a reference for certain practices, or support new team members.
After several years of practice, it is also possible to move into other healthcare professions through additional training. The most common pathway is access to the nursing diploma, often facilitated by professional training schemes or bridging programs. Other options include roles in the medico-social sector, disability support, or specialized functions depending on individual career paths.
Temporary work can also serve as a lever for career development. By multiplying assignments and working environments, nursing assistants build diverse experience that is highly valued by healthcare facilities, making it easier to access permanent positions or targeted opportunities.
Finding a nursing assistant assignment with Staffmatch
Healthcare facilities regularly seek nursing assistants to strengthen their teams. By working with a specialized agency such as Staffmatch, professionals can quickly access assignments suited to their profile, with personalized support and opportunities in hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes.
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