So you are on your way to becoming a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant).  As many of you are looking into this exciting career path, there are likely some of you that are wondering what it all entails or even if it’s the right career path for you? The job of a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) can be an extremly rewarding, demanding and at times fast paced occupation.  There are going to be times when you have an ample amount of time to care for all of your patients and other times that you will have to work extremly efficiently and quickly to tend to all of your patients.  Therefore it’s one attribute that many Nursing Assistants share is a strong desire to help other people and strong work ethic.  They are also considered to have excellent enterpersonal and communications skills, which is vital to their job performance.  Each day CNA’s have to interact with patients, doctors, nurses and family members and they must do so in a clear and consise manner.

It is widely known that Nursing Assistants provide basic are for patients including feeding, bathing, and dressing. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg when you take a look at all the various duties involved in being an effective Nurse Assistant. While the specific duties will vary according to the medical facility you work for, there are some that are found in most every one.

Bathing is generally either a shower or a bed bath depending on the level of care the patient requires. Personal hygiene including combing hair, brushing teeth, applying makeup, cleaning dentures all needs to be done for each individual patient. Shaving is also to be taken into consideration, and completed as needed.

Taking patients vital signs are a daily requirement of Nursing Assistants. Taking vital signs includes temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. This information that is recorded on the patients chart, and reviewed by the Nursing staff and other medical professionals.

For patients requiring assistance with eating, the routine can take 20-60 minutes depending on the abilities of the patient and how much food they consume. The Nursing Assistant needs to document the type of food and drink consumed and the quantities of each on the patient’s chart. Some patients will need to take vitamins and other nutritional supplements, also the duty of the Nursing Assistant to administer.

It is also the duty of the Nursing Assistant in many medical facilities to be responsible for getting those who can feed themselves ready to be taken to the dining area. This may just be having their grooming done or helping to lift them into a wheelchair and take them to the dining area.

Nursing assistants will need to change any bedding or other soiled materials if found on the patient. This is a case by case basis and will vary each day. While interacting with the patient, you will need to document their behaviors. It is important that you notify the Nurse on duty if you see any changes that are unexpected or not generally seen. You will be trained in what to look for.

Keeping a sharp eye for details will assist any Nursing Assistant with successfully performing all duties. Caring for people changes because their needs change as well as those you are caring for changes. How quickly you are caring for new patients depends on the type of medical facility you work for.

In addition to performing all of these essential duties, Nursing Assistants are responsible for providing emotional support to patients and their families. This can be helping patients feel comfortable with their surroundings, hanging a photo on the wall for them, or helping them compose a letter. Family members may want you to certain things for a patient such as braid their hair daily or keep their fingernails short.

Performing all the duties of a Nursing Assistant takes practice, dedication, organization, and a sincere desire to help others. It can be an exhausting effort on some days, and often a job no one thanks them for doing. However, for those who enjoy what they do and take pride in it, we need to stop and see all that they do in a days work. They provide valuable services to patients and the medical profession.

Nurses Assistants play a vital role in our healthcare system. They assist patients with many of their basic everyday needs including bathing, feeding and dressing them.  They also  act as an extension of the nursing staff, and are considered a vital part of a patients recovery.

Since Nurses Assistants are required to be licensed to practice in each state, it’s necessary to complete a certification program and pass the appropriate state licensing exam. Such programs are available at several medical facilities and college campuses. The programs can very in legth between four to twelve weeks, depending on the state licensing requirements and curriculum.

All  CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant)  courses will teach you the basic fundamentals of taking care of patients in a safe and professional manner. Your work will be supervised by licensed Registered Nurse (RN) both during the time you are training and continuing into your regular practice.  The training program will teach you to care for both the physical and psychological needs of each patient.  They will also  cover the information on the state licensing exam, and provide you with actual questions that appered on past exams for you to practice.

Throughout the CNA training course you will be exposed to actual hands on training with patients as well as traditional classroom training.  The textbook material you will be covering will expose you to the necessary medical terminology you will be using in your day to day practice. You will also learn ways to improve your communication skills. Communication is key to being a great Nurse Assistant. You will need to be effective at communicating with patients, their family, and the other medical staff.

The hands on portion of the training will give you the opportunity to practice the concepts you are learning in the classroom. Most training programs have special medical maniquins that you work with. You will practice proper bathing and lifting on them. You may also practice taking their vital signs as some are designed for that purpose.

The majority of Nurse Assistant programs work with in conjunction with the medical facilities in the area. This often means a large portion of your hands on training will take place as such a facility. This portion of the curriculum is called clinicals. During this process, you will tend to real patients with the close supervision of licensed medical staff. You will begin applying your knowledge in this setting.

Clinicals can be intimidating to some students. However, they are designed to give you the best opportunity to fully understand and learn your role as a Certified Nurses Assistant. Generally, these clinicals are conducted with a very small group of students. Your class will be broke up into groups of at least two but no more than six.  It is important to understand that you will not be paid for the work you do during these clinical hours of training.

During clinicals, the Nursing staff is fully aware of your inexperience. They will attempt to explain what is taking place as it happens to improve your ability to look for key factors in a medical setting. It is very important that if you do not fully understand something, that you discuss it with those training you. They are there for that purpose during the training portions of the Nurse Assistant program.

Completing your Nurse Assistant training at a medical facility not only gives you hands on experience, it may lead to a job offer at the end of your training program. Many medical facilities that host the clinical training are watching out for students who show potential. They are looking for punctuality, attendance, attention to detail, a willingness to learn, and a positive attitude.

One advantage of accepting a job offer at the facility you completed your clinical training at, is that you will know their policies and procedures. It is important to keep in mind that every facility has variations of how you were training.  The basics will be the same, but you will need to be willing to adjust to what is expected at the particular facility you accept employment with.