What Is A Certified Nursing Assistant?

Answer 1

Certified nursing assistants are important to the health care system. CNA’s perform a variety of patient care duties including feeding, taking vital signs, bathing and grooming patients and assisting with activities of daily living. Certified nursing assistants are known in some settings as nurses aides or health care technicians. They work in various settings including hospitals, long term care facilities, behavioral health centers, home health care organizations and physician’s offices.

The training for certified nurses aides or assistants is usually provided by community colleges and hospitals. Some long-term facilities and other health care settings offer their own nursing assistant training programs. Many high schools offer nursing assistant training as part of the vocational curriculum. CNA training programs must be approved by the state and graduates are required to take a certification examination. Such programs cover all aspects of care provided by a certified nursing assistant. Students in such programs receive an introduction to topics like psychology, medical terminology, nursing and personal care skills. Other areas covered include infection control, privacy issues, and caring for persons with dementia and other cognitive problems. The time it takes to complete a certified nursing assistant training programs depends on the state, and can range from several weeks to two semesters.

Due to the growing older adult population, the employment outlook for certified nurses aides is excellent. Salaries generally range from $10.00 to $13.00 per hour depending upon the setting. Advanced certified nursing assistants in some states have the title of CNA II. Those at this level earn higher salaries than CNA’s performing basic patient care. In some instances a CNA II may have some supervisory and training responsibilities for newly employed nursing assistants.

Those who aspire to be CNA’s should exhibit patience and be prepared to work hard. The job can be difficult at times, especially when heavy lifting is involved and in situations where the patient load is heavy. However CNA’s who are good at what they do can usually find employment with little difficulty. The CNA role also prepares an individual for the role of licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. Many CNA’s are successful in continuing their education and advancing to these nursing positions.