CNA Day – June 11, 2026

Expected CNA Day Deals

While CNA Day isn’t typically marked by widespread consumer sales, many healthcare organizations, local businesses, and professional associations offer special recognition programs and discounts for Certified Nursing Assistants. In past years, companies like Scrubs & Beyond and Cherokee Uniforms have provided special offers on medical apparel, while local restaurants and coffee shops often extend freebies or discounts to healthcare workers with valid IDs. Look for appreciation events sponsored by organizations like the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA), which may include gift card giveaways or educational scholarships. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as June approaches.

History of CNA Day

Assistants to nurses have been around for a very long time, since World War I actually! The war took its toll on the hundreds of nurses deployed alongside the soldiers, overwhelming them beyond exhaustion. Seeing this situation, the American Red Cross took it upon themselves to create a Volunteer Nurses’ Aide Service. This program trained young women as nurses’ aides to provide basic assistance to overworked nurses; they were not certified and were volunteers. They numbered almost 8,000 women, who conducted basic triage and helped in acute shortage areas like reserve, field, base, and civilian hospitals. However, this profession did not exist after the war, and it only caught on again during World War II. At that time, the Red Cross reinstated this program, and these nursing assistants continued volunteering (and some were even employed) after the war was over.

These women were as yet not certified professionals. They only completed on-the-job training. Many nursing assistants found their way to nursing homes. In the 1980s, concerns were raised about the quality of care being provided at these nursing homes by untrained staff. This issue was put to rest by the passing of a special Act that required all such nursing assistants to be certified. This marked the change in the profession. Various accreditation centers arose, providing training to aspirants.

Now, people looking to become nursing assistants can receive certification online, offline, or a combination of both from various schools and organizations like the American Red Cross. Nowadays, nursing assistants work in hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities, performing everyday living tasks for the elderly, chronically ill, or those who cannot care for themselves. National Career Nurse Assistants Day is sponsored by the National Network of Career Nursing Assistants. They promote this day and National Nursing Assistants Training Week by requesting communities to show their support and appreciation towards these nursing assistants.