Occupational Description and Outlook
Certified Nursing Assistants CNAs) are important members of the healthcare team in many hospitals and extended care facilities. Nurse assistants provide routine care, and thereby extend the ability of the RNs to provide the care that their extensive training enables them to do, such as formulating care plans, nursing assessments, administering, and assisting in surgery room preparation. The nurse assistant must not only be very skilled in the actual procedures being performed but must also be able to observe a patient's condition and report that information back to the nurse. Due to other responsibilities, the nurse cannot spend large amounts of time in the room with the patient so the nurse assistant is often referred to as the nurse's "eyes and ears". A nurse assistant is usually responsible for Activities of daily living. Typically CNAs are expected to master the following basic skills. CNAs are trained to:
- Turn and reposition bedridden patients, alone or with assistance, to prevent bedsores.
- Answer patients' call signals.
- Feed patients who are unable to feed themselves.
- Observe patients' conditions, measuring and recording food and liquid intake and output and vital signs, and report changes to professional staff.
- Provide patient care by supplying and emptying bed pans, applying dressings and supervising exercise routines.
- Provide patients with help walking, exercising, and moving in and out of bed.
- Bathe, groom, shave, dress, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
- Collect specimens such as urine, feces, or sputum.
- Prepare, serve, and collect food trays.
- Clean rooms and change linens.
Educational/Training Requirements to Become a CNA
Formal training and experience is required to become a certified nurse assistant. Students must complete a training program, which helps them develop the skills to interact with patients and other health care professionals. These programs are often offered at community colleges and technical schools. State-approved training programs must be a minimum of 120 hours and include 16 hours of supervised clinical training. Aides who complete the program are known as certified nurse assistants (CNAs) and are placed on the State registry of nursing aides. To maintain certification, all nurse aides must complete 12 hours of continuing education annually. Among the requirements for becoming a state-certified nurse assistant is the mastery of a set of basic skills. These skills are needed to care for patients in both long-term-care facilities and in home settings.
The Nursing assistant skills descriptions refer mostly to the care of elderly patients, but most of them would apply to any nursing assistant situation. In 2004, the median wage for nurse assistants who work for local government agencies was $11.10/per hour, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov.
Helpful CNA Links:
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