What Are The Duties Of A Certified Nursing Assistant?

A certified Nursing assistant provides care to patients, under the watchful eye of a registered nurse. Certified nurses can work anywhere, ranging from hospitals and care homes, to schools, hospices and community centers. A certified nursing assistant has not been fully trained, which means that they cannot be left on their own to deal with situations. Becoming a CNA can be a great way to get into the health care industry, starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly working their way up.

One of the CNAs main roles is to keep and eye over the patients in their establishment. This could mean checking to make sure everyone has food and drink, or making sure people are bathed and washed at correct times etc. Any heath issues that pop up they will report to the main nurse immediately, who will then deal with it. They will sometimes be given the task of taking temperatures, checking for bumps and bruises and other minor medical tasks that require little or no training.

Often a CNA will be given jobs such as taking food to patients or clearing up after them. Depending on where they are located, they may also clean up after meals, set out the dinner tables, escort patients to their therapy or other location and in general do any jobs that need doing.

Although not written down as an actual job, one of the CNAs biggest responsibilities is being a friend to many of the patients. Many of them, especially the residents, are unlikely to have visitors a lot of the time and because of this may get very lonely. So a CNA will talk to them, chat to them and be a friend so they can talk about worries or any other important issues that may affect them. This is a very important aspect of their job as someone being secluded and lonely is a horrible thing, and can lead ultimately to depression.

A CNA will also be responsible for some admin work if applicable. This could include filing or storing important lettering, responding to patients families, answering inquires, placing orders for essential products for the establishment or anything down to putting stamps on letters and posting them off.

As you can see, a certified nursing assistant can have a lot on their hands, and can have a lot pf pressure on them at times. Demand for CNAs is high, as many work as a CNA for a few years and then progress further to become either full nurses or higher. It’s a great career to get into, as the choices you can do afterwards are fantastic and it really helps you by getting your foot in the back door. Although there may seem a lot to do the rewards are high, not just financially. Becoming a part of someone’s life can be very rewarding itself, and becoming a shoulder for them to cry on or a shoulder to tell stories to etc can help make a person much happier.