CNA work | CNA employment | CNA Careers
The initials "C.N.A." stand for Certified Nursing Assistant. As a CNA, you will be under the direction of a Registered Nurse or an LPN. To become a CNA, you must first attend a State Certified Course that is approved for the State you wish to work in.
CNA work may vary from State to State, but almost all include some of the following.
Certified nursing assistants will be required to assist their patients/residents with their personal care and grooming, which includes bathing, mouth and denture care, shaving male patients, and helping dress or undress the patient. In A CNA Career You will also be expected to assist with patients nutritional needs. In a Cna Career You may be asked to check the food trays to make sure they are being given to the correct resident, pass out the food trays, feed patients that help, provide fresh water and make sure nutritious snacks are given at the correct time.
With CNA work you will be expected to assist with elimination needs, such as assisting with bed pans, emptying catheter bags, and helping with colostomy care. Certified nursing assistants are responsible for Promoting the patients safety, and as a certified nursing assistant, you will be expected to make sure that the residents' room is clutter-free. You will also clean and care for any equipment that is in the patients room, carry out isolation precautions if called for, and observe oxygen precautions.
CNA work almost always involves checking and recording vital signs, measuring intake and output, collecting specimens,and at times, measuring height and weight.
For bedridden patients, you will be required to turn and re-position the patient, provide approved range of motion exercises, assist with ambulating if called for, and transfer to bedside chair or wheelchair.
The resident's/patients comfort is another high priority. As a Certified Nursing Assistant, you will need to help make sure the lines of communication are open. You will want to be sure that the person under your care feels comfortable speaking with you about any worries he or she may have. Always keep your patients confidentiality. Providing orientation to a new resident is also part of a certified nursing assistants work description. Giving back massages, and making sure the call button is always within reach are two more duties you will be expected to perform.
Making beds, transporting patients from one area to another, assisting with special needs and doing errands asked by your superiors is all part of a CNA work.