Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Certified nursing assistants in San Francisco work the skilled nursing floors at Laguna Honda Hospital and the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, plus hospital units at UCSF Health, with posted pay starting near $29 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get certified.
Current certified nursing assistant Openings in San Francisco, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Certified Nursing Assistant Work in San Francisco
The biggest single block of CNA jobs in San Francisco sits at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center on Laguna Honda Boulevard, where the city budgets close to 390 full-time CNA positions under job class 2303, according to the Department of Public Health's own vacancy report. A few miles southeast on Silver Avenue, the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living keeps CNA openings posted for its skilled nursing units, including full-time PM shifts. Hospital work runs through UCSF Health, which took over the former St. Mary's and Saint Francis hospitals and now calls them Stanyan Hospital and Hyde Hospital, and through the San Francisco VA's Community Living Center.
What sets the city apart is pay. California's SB 525 health care minimum wage puts a floor under most CNA jobs that sits well above San Francisco's general $19.61 minimum, and the City and County's civil service scale pays CNAs a salary rather than an hourly start rate. Many health workers commute in on BART from the East Bay or up I-280 from Daly City and the Peninsula.
Top San Francisco Employers Hiring Certified Nursing Assistants
These employers have posted CNA or nursing assistant roles in San Francisco on their own career sites:
- San Francisco Department of Public Health - hires CNAs under job class 2303, mostly for Laguna Honda Hospital's skilled nursing units.
- San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living - the Silver Avenue senior care campus posts full-time CNA shifts on its skilled nursing units and hires a CNA instructor.
- UCSF Health - hires patient care assistants at Stanyan Hospital and its Bayfront surgery center, with CNA certification preferred.
- San Francisco VA Health Care System - recruits nursing assistants for the Community Living Center at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, most recently in summer 2026.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries in San Francisco
- Entry level: about $29 to $33 an hour for newly certified aides at skilled nursing campuses and hospitals.
- Experienced: roughly $33 to $42 an hour, including the lower and middle steps of the city's CNA scale.
- Senior / top step: about $45 to $50 an hour at the top of the City and County's 2303 range, which runs about $69,000 to $105,600 a year.
These are estimates drawn from pay ranges San Francisco employers published in their own postings in 2026. Pay moves with the employer type, the shift and union step progression. The VA pays by federal grade, from about $48,500 at GS-3 to $79,200 at the top of GS-5, and night and weekend differentials add to base pay at most hospitals.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant in San Francisco
California certifies nurse assistants through the California Department of Public Health. You need at least 160 hours of approved training, 60 in the classroom and 100 in supervised clinical practice, then a competency exam and a Live Scan fingerprint check. City College of San Francisco teaches a one-semester CNA and home health aide course at its John Adams Center on Hayes Street, and the city's free HealthCare Academy, run through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, also trains CNAs. Most hospital roles also ask for an American Heart Association BLS card.
What the Job Involves
CNAs give hands-on daily care: bathing, dressing, feeding and toileting patients, turning and repositioning residents who cannot move on their own, taking vital signs, and helping people walk or transfer safely between bed and chair. They chart intake, output and observations, answer call lights, and tell the nurse right away when a patient's condition changes. In skilled nursing, the same aide often cares for the same residents for months.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active California CNA certification from CDPH
- Current AHA BLS certification
- Safe lifting, transfer and repositioning technique
- Accurate vital signs and charting
- Patience and respect with older adults and residents with dementia
- Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin, a plus with many San Francisco patients
Career Path and Advancement
Many San Francisco aides start at a skilled nursing campus, then move into hospital patient care assistant roles at UCSF Health or the VA. From there the common step is licensure: City College's 18-month LVN program at the John Adams Center, then an RN program at City College, SF State or USF. Experienced CNAs also move into restorative aide, unit clerk or CNA instructor roles.
Related Careers in San Francisco
If CNA work interests you, these San Francisco roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get CNA certified in San Francisco?
Complete a state-approved nurse assistant program of at least 160 hours, pass the competency exam and clear a Live Scan background check. The California Department of Public Health issues the certificate. City College of San Francisco and the city's free HealthCare Academy both offer training.
How much do CNAs make in San Francisco?
Posted pay starts around $29 an hour at skilled nursing campuses and runs to about $50 an hour at the top of the city's civil service scale. Union steps, shift differentials and employer type all move the number.
Does the SB 525 health care minimum wage apply to CNAs?
For most covered employers, yes. California's health care worker minimum wage applies to most staff at covered hospitals, clinics and similar facilities, and it reached $25 an hour at large health systems on July 1, 2026. Smaller and safety-net employers have lower tiers that step up over time.
Can I work as a CNA while I train to become a nurse?
Yes. Evening, night and per diem CNA shifts at skilled nursing campuses fit around classes, and UCSF Health lists current nursing students among its preferred candidates for some assistant roles.
How long does CNA training take?
The state minimum is 160 hours of training, and City College of San Francisco fits its CNA and home health aide course into one semester. After that you take the competency exam and wait for CDPH to issue your certificate before you can work as a CNA.
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