This week marks Certified Nursing Assistant Week and like many parts of the medical field, more of these workers are needed.

“In nursing school, they tell you to have empathy and not sympathy,” Sherice Dillon recalled. “But we’re all human, and you get quite acquainted with the residents.”

Dillon has been in the nursing field for nearly two decades. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) for six years and a licensed practical nurse for 11, she’s currently the clinical director at Schenectady Center.

“I was raised by my grandmother until the age of 10,” Dillon said. “I was caring for her toward her end of life, which made me interested in becoming a certified nursing assistant.”

Dillon believes it’s an industry that is rewarding.

“If I had a chance to choose a different career, I wouldn’t,” she said.

But the job is not for the faint of heart.

“Sometimes, there are staffing shortages and stress,” CNA staffing coordinator Pamela Joseph said. “You have to want to be this, you have to have a drive to want to be here every day, giving it your best.”

The challenges paired with low wages have deterred people away from this line of work. Last year, on average, nursing assistants were making less than $39,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“It’s obviously not just here, it’s everywhere. And honestly, since COVID, it’s been difficult,” said Director of Nursing Heather Tourtellot. “We do our CNA training program here to get people in the door that are kind and caring.”

The struggle is stacking up against an aging population. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, 20% of the country’s population will be 65 or older.

So during this year’s CNA Week, people already working in the industry share this message with anyone who may be interested in joining the ranks: “It’s something that you have to have a heart for,” Dillon said. “As a CNA, you’re the first thing residents see when they wake up and the last thing when they go to bed.”