There are important CNA job duties that nursing aides perform which make them the most essential and functional representatives of the health care team. Certified nursing assistants are the direct caregivers to patients. It is your role as a CNA to act as the link between the registered nurse or practical nurse and the patient.
Though you work under their supervision, it will be your role or duty to check the patient’s vital signs; to dress them; comfort them; feed them; and bathe them. You will also be tasked to do ambulating and toileting duties.
Despite the tedious and often times long hours of work, landing a job as a nursing assistant does pay off. Aside from the high salary or compensation, CNAs are also given other benefits and sometimes other incentives. You can also add the fact that nursing aides that can understand CNA job duties are highly demanded in every branch of health care.
You’ll never run out of job options and you’ll never be too old to apply as CNA. However, you can’t be younger than 18 when you enroll at a CNA school or facility. You can choose to work in nursing homes, adult care facilities, rehabilitation centers as well as long terms care & hospice. Even in home care, nurse aides are the preferred choice.
What do you need in order to land in a CNA job?
Aside from the obvious, which is to show your proof of certification (for the state you’ll be working in), your name should also appear on the Nurse Aide Registry of the state. Most employers also expect their nurse aides to able to read, write and speak fluent English. You should also be able to follow given instructions as well as facility protocols. Though there are usually other requirements depending on the health care institution or facility, these are the basic requirements you usually need to apply as a CNA. You will learn all CNA job duties during training.
When it comes to enrolling in a CNA course, or online cna training course, the requirements usually depend on the institution or facility. There are schools that require their prospective students to have GED or a high school diploma. There are also entry examinations to ensure that you can perform basic math calculations. To test both your English and Math skills, there are schools that will require you to take the Test of Adult Base Education (TABE).
If you qualify, there are schools that require students to pay tuition fees upfront. However, there are also institutions or facilities that offer free training to teach you CNA job duties as long you agree to work there for at least a year. For the costs, a 6-week training is usually around $300 to $800 depending on the school or facility.
CNA Job Duties Are Taught During Training
Once you become a nurse assistant, your CNA job duties can vary depending on your employer. However, in school and during your training, you all be taught all of the things you will possibly need in order to qualify in nearly all areas of health care. You will learn how to ensure patient safety; how to provide basic care to adults of different age brackets; how to prevent and control infection; and how to communicate well with your patient.
You will also learn proper body mechanics, basic hygiene skills as well as mobility techniques to prevent injuries. You will be trained to on how to assist patients with their daily activities; how to properly feed them depending on their condition; and how to take vital signs. Other CNA job duties students learn are how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation & basic life support; how to move & ambulate clients; as well as how to document & report the patient’s client condition properly. By learning all these, you can really guarantee a very fruitful and promising career as a nursing assistant.