Being a Certified Nursing Assistant is a very rewarding career in the medical field.
What is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)?
A certified nursing assistant, or CNA, helps patients or clients with healthcare needs under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Also known as a Nursing Assistant (NA) a Patient Care Assistant (PCA) or a State Tested Nurse Aid (STNA), the individual who carries this title needs strong work ethic and ability, but issues of liability and legality prevent CNAs from performing certain procedures.
Role of the CNA - Your regular responsibilities as a nursing assistant will vary based on where you work or live. Nursing assistants can work in a wide variety of settings; nursing homes, hospitals, adult day care centers, personal homes and assisted living facilities all require nursing assistants to act as a helpful liaison between the RN or LPN and the patient. In many cases, the nursing assistant serves as the RN’s or LPN’s eyes and ears, and relays information between many patients and one or two RNs.
The nursing assistantfulfills basic quality-of-life needsfor patients of any age, ethnicity or gender in residential nursing care facilities or outpatient clinics. Since nursing assistants have daily contact with patients, they are gatherers of vital information about the patients’ conditions, which they must then transmit to their supervisors. A CNA’s workload can become intense and fast-paced, but the human contact and ability to help those in medical need is a strong motivating factor. A desire to help people and compassion for patients can help a nurse’s assistant get through difficult days.
What is Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) Our CHHA's perform under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) when assisting clients with daily personal functions and providing companionship. The RN conducts an assessment and develops a plan of care for the CHHA to follow. Addtional duties include, but are not limited to:
Preparing Meals
Light Housekeeping
Laundry
Running Errands
Shopping
Accompany on Outings/Appointments
Medication Reminders
Assist with Transferring Needs
Incontinent Care
Companionship
Personal Hygiene
Duties outlined in the Client's Plan of Care
And More
Our CHHA's also engage in stimulating conversations, play games, take short walks and give emotional support to our clients. They will participate and assist with up to 2 special projects per week, such as: closet cleaning, planting & watering flowers, arts & craft projects, etc. Special projects can be performed if they do not pose a medical or safety risk to the employee. The employee will make this decision at the time the project is planned. Special projects must not require the use of strong chemicals, special tools, machinery or climbing.