In all medical facilities every job is vital. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is not the most glorified or glamorous job to have in a hospital or medical and health care facility but it is an important job. Certified nursing assistants play a significant role in the daily operations of a medical environment and are on the front lines of all care provided to patients. The caring nature compassion and skills of the certified nursing assistant, helps to lessen the burden on those who are sick, and not able to adequately care for themselves.
What is a Certified Nursing Assistant?
A certified nursing assistant is an individual who helps others with their health care needs and with activities of daily living (ADLs). The CNA can also provide bedside care such as basic nursing procedures to patients under the supervision of either a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN). A certified nursing assistant may also be called a patient care assistant (PCA), a state tested nurse aide (STNA), a nursing assistant- registered (NA/R), a patient technician, an orderly, or a home health aide.
While the CNA is an essential member of a health care team who most often holds a high level of both ability and experience, she does not have qualifications that are comparable to nursing professionals and therefore is not permitted to perform certain tasks because of liability and legality issues.
A certified nursing assistant was once known as simply a nursing assistant. The attempt to regulate, control and verify the education of such an individual came about in the United States when certification was obtained. That is why a nursing assistant is now known as a certified nursing assistant. This gives the profession more validity and a level of credibility that it did not have before.
Certified nursing assistants find work in hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, assisted living facilities and private residences. As a CNA you have plenty of options in terms of where you wish to seek employment.
The Duties of a CNA
As previously mentioned, a certified nursing assistant works under the supervision of a nurse to provide her patients with the assistance they require in regards to daily living tasks. Certified nursing assistants work very closely with patients and are responsible for many basic care services such as feeding, bathing and grooming patients. They are often called upon to help nurses with medical equipment and they are also requested to check the vital signs of the patients in their care.
A CNA may be asked to turn and reposition patients that are bedridden and they may be asked to provide patients with the help they need in terms of moving about their room or walking. They may apply dressings to wounds and prepare patients for examinations, medical tests, treatments or surgery. They may transport patients to treatment units by way of a wheelchair or a stretcher. They may supervise the exercise routines of their patients. They may also be expected to do some light housekeeping duties such as to clean patients’ rooms and change bed linens.
Certified nursing assistants provide important emotional and social support to their patients. They also may relay important information to nurses on the health conditions of their patients. It has been said by some that the best registered nurses (RNs) started their careers in the medical field as certified nursing assistants (CNAs). In fact for some people being a CNA served as a stepping stone to studying for and becoming a registered nurse.
It is important to note that a certified nursing assistant must be able to remain as calm and composed under pressure as possible. She also must have a strong grasp of all emergency procedures and know exactly what to do if something was to go wrong in her work environment or with a patient.
Training as a CNA
As mentioned previously, a job as a CNA is an excellent entry point for a career in the nursing field. However some individuals enjoy their work so much and therefore decide to stay where they are at. What direction you decide to take your career in is entirely up to you.
Unlike training to become a registered nurse, you can train to work as a certified nursing assistant in a relatively short span of time. You will first need to have either your high school diploma or your GED. You will then need to complete a 6 to 12 week CNA certificate program at a community college, a junior college or a medical facility. The classroom instruction that makes up a CNA program will include such subjects as basic nursing skills, anatomy and physiology, infection control and nutrition. There will also be a clinical phase in which the CNA student will gain a fair share of hands-on experience.
Once you have completed the CNA program you will then need to become certified. The regulations on nursing assistant certification vary from one state to another. Most programs however do require that a certification examination be written. Once you have passed the exam you will receive your certification and can then look for work as a certified nursing assistant.
Salary of a CNA
While the salary for a CNA is not the same in every state or in every work environment, according to the website PayScale , generally speaking an entry-level certified nursing assistant earns in the range of $19,925 to $29,764. The highest paid CNAs earn in the area of $35,377. The factors that most greatly affect the salaries of certified nursing assistants include the years of experience they have and where they are employed.
The job prospects for those who wish to pursue Certified Nursing Assistant Careers or for those already working in the field are excellent due to the longer lifespan of the population and the increasing long-term needs of those who are aging. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified nursing assistant jobs (which takes into account home health aides and psychiatric aides) is forecast to grow by as much as 28 percent by the year 2016.
