Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in Tulsa, OK
Certified nursing assistants in Tulsa typically start around $15 to $17 an hour, and Saint Francis will train you for the exam through its own program with Tulsa Tech. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring along South Yale and Utica Avenue and how to get on the Oklahoma registry.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in Tulsa, OK
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Certified Nursing Assistant Work in Tulsa
Most CNA hiring in Tulsa runs through the hospital systems that compete for bedside staff across the metro. Saint Francis Hospital at 61st and Yale calls the role Nurse Tech, while Hillcrest Medical Center and Ascension St. John, about a mile apart on the Utica Avenue medical corridor in midtown, recruit aides into their nursing support teams. Both systems also run suburban hospitals in Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks and south Tulsa near the Creek Turnpike, so aides often pick the campus closest to home.
Long-term care is the other big lane. The Claremore Veterans Home, a 302-bed state home off Blue Starr Drive in Rogers County, provides round-the-clock nursing care with certified nurse aides on staff. Oklahoma also certifies aides by setting, including long term care, home health and adult day care, which shapes where you can work.
Top Tulsa Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
These Tulsa-area employers hire certified aides and nurse techs on their own career sites:
- Saint Francis Health System - the Tulsa-based system hires Nurse Tech/CNA staff for inpatient units and runs its own Nurse Tech/CNA training program with Tulsa Tech.
- Hillcrest HealthCare System - the Ardent Health system behind Hillcrest Medical Center on South Utica and Hillcrest South recruits aides under its Nursing Support category.
- Ascension St. John - the medical center on South Utica and its Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso and Sapulpa hospitals hire through a Nursing Support job family.
- Claremore Veterans Home - the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs home in Claremore staffs 24-hour nursing care with RNs, LPNs and certified nurse aides.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in Tulsa
- Entry level: about $15 to $17 per hour for newly certified aides.
- Experienced: roughly $17 to $19 per hour, close to the Tulsa median.
- Senior / top of range: $19 to $21 per hour for long-tenured aides, nights and specialty units.
These are estimates built from federal wage data for the Tulsa metro, where the median nursing assistant earned about $17.65 an hour in May 2025. Pay moves with shift, unit and employer type: hospital night and weekend shifts usually carry a differential, and a Medication Aide add-on or a step up to patient care technician can lift your rate.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in Tulsa
Oklahoma requires you to finish a state-approved nurse aide training program, then pass the written and skills exams given through the CareerTech Testing Center at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. Passing puts you on the Oklahoma State Department of Health Nurse Aide Registry, with certification types such as Long Term Care and Home Health Care. Tulsa Tech offers a one-semester Nursing Assistant program at the Health Sciences Center on its Lemley Memorial Campus on South Memorial Drive, and Saint Francis runs a short weekday Nurse Tech/CNA class with Tulsa Tech that leads to a Nurse Tech job.
What the Job Involves
Nursing assistants handle the hands-on care that keeps a unit running: taking vital signs, helping patients bathe, dress, eat and move, turning and repositioning bedbound patients, answering call lights, and recording intake and output. In a hospital you work under the direction of RNs and LPNs and may help with procedures; in long-term care you get to know the same residents over months and report changes in their condition to the nurse.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active listing on the Oklahoma Nurse Aide Registry
- Current BLS / CPR certification
- Accurate vital signs and charting
- Safe lifting, transfers and fall prevention
- Patience and clear communication with patients and families
- Reliability on 12-hour, night and weekend shifts
Career Path and Advancement
For many Tulsa nurses the CNA job is step one. Aides add the Medication Aide certification or move into patient care technician roles, then use Tulsa Tech's Practical Nursing program, which requires a CNA certificate before entry, to become an LPN. From there, Tulsa Community College's nursing mobility track and the hospital residency programs on Utica Avenue and South Yale lead to the RN license.
Related Careers in Tulsa
If nursing assistant work interests you, these related Tulsa guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get CNA certified in Oklahoma?
Complete a state-approved nurse aide training program, then pass the written and skills exams through the CareerTech Testing Center. Your certificate is then listed on the Oklahoma State Department of Health Nurse Aide Registry, which employers check before hiring.
How much do CNAs make in Tulsa?
Most new aides start around $15 to $17 an hour, experienced aides earn about $17 to $19, and the top of the range runs near $21. Night shifts, weekends and hospital differentials push pay higher than daytime long-term care.
Does any Tulsa employer train new CNAs?
Saint Francis partners with Tulsa Tech on a Nurse Tech/CNA training program, and graduates are eligible for a Nurse Tech position at Saint Francis. Classes run weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. over about three weeks, with applications for the January 2027 class taken in November.
How long does CNA training take in Tulsa?
The Saint Francis and Tulsa Tech class runs about three to four weeks, while Tulsa Tech's full-time Nursing Assistant program takes one semester. After training you still need to pass the state exams before you can work as a certified aide.
Is a CNA certificate useful for nursing school in Tulsa?
Yes. Tulsa Tech requires a CNA certificate before you can enter its Practical Nursing program, and aide experience counts toward the Nurse Tech roles that many Tulsa nursing students hold while in school.
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