A certified nurses assistant is also known as a nurses aide. Typically, CNA duties consist of assisting their patients with a number of daily tasks that they might find difficult due to their condition. Because of these opportunities to help people and make a difference in their lives, certified nursing assistants usually receive a great deal of satisfaction from their work.
Where Does A Certified Nurses Assistant Work?
A certified nurses aide will generally work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities and senior’s homes (CNA training classes focus on skills that cross-over into each of these areas). These are environments where people need help in order to function, and nurses aides assist them with daily tasks such as bathing, eating and going to the bathroom.
A Typical Day For A CNA
On a typical day, a certified nurses assistant will be required to assist a number of different patients by helping them get dressed, washed, brush their teeth and eat. While these are not exactly surgical procedures, they are important in order to help maintain the health of the patient.
Cleaning Living Spaces
Certified nurses assistant duties might also consist of cleaning-up rooms, making beds and making a patient’s living space comfortable in order to help their recovery. Living in a clean environment is crucial to good health and sometimes a nursing assistant is required to step-in in order to make sure that the environment is suitable for a patient.
Assisting with Schedules
Nursing assistant duties might also include keeping track of a patient schedule and making sure that they can get to their appointments on time. This could involve escorting the patient directly if they had difficulty walking and making sure that they are awake and ready for their appointments and examinations. A CNA will be responsible for staying on top of things with multiple patients; it can be truly a massive responsibility.
Exercise and Rehabilitation
Some patients may also require some form of exercise in order to keep fit and healthy even if they are in a long-term care facility. Something as simple as having a certified nursing aide take a walk with them around the hospital floor can help to make sure that a patient can recover faster and maintain the use of their legs. A certified nursing assistant’s duties made no way include direct physical therapy but helping a patient exercise with the guidance of a physical therapist could be part of their day-to-day duties.
Supporting Other Staff Members
When it comes to actually assisting other nurses, a certified nursing assistant’s duties might include keeping medical staff and other nurses informed about a patient’s condition. They will have to know how to check vital signs and also how to identify and communicate with other medical staff to alert them of any medical concerns with the patient.
The Nature Of A Certified Nurses Assistant’s Work
As you can see, a certified nurses assistant’s duties are never-ending and all-encompassing. Although there is quite a bit of responsibility and duties required for a certified nurses assistant, the nature of their work is very rewarding and crucial for the health of their patients.