14 Jan What Does a Nursing Assistant Do?
For some, it may come as a surprise that the daily work of a CNA is far different than what is often portrayed in popular books and movies. For others, the hard reality that CNAs face day in and day out is realized through the stories of friends and family that are actually part of the profession. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, one thing is certain: being a CNA is definitely a lot of work, and each day is filled with different tasks that must be executed with supreme professionalism and grace. The daily life of a CNA is something that newcomers to this profession should study carefully in order to make absolutely sure that this is the career path that’s right for them. This sharp honesty in describing the CNA profession does not take away the nobility of those that enter this profession. If anything, going into this profession being fully aware of the tasks that you will be expected to perform is the foundation upon which you will find success as a CNA professional.
So, what is actual CNA work like?
While it is true that the daily tasks of a CNA can vary from place to place, there are a core set of activities that do not change much at all. It is this core that you will want to study and use as a basis to decide whether or not this career path is really right for you.
The biggest chunk of a CNAs day is within direct patient care. The average CNA does not only have one patient to look after but often several dozens. The numbers can vary a bit depending on the facility, but the average number is about ten. Depending on the shift, this can mean a lot of work for the CNA that must still be carried out as professionally as possible.
Certified nursing assistants occupy an often invisible but very necessary role in the medical field. In short, CNAs help in the overall operation of a nursing home or clinic by providing one-to-one feedback between the patient and the nurses/doctors and doing routine tasks for patients, freeing up the nurses and doctors to do more specialized things. However, there is more to it than that and understanding what a nursing assistant does can help you decide if this is really the job for you.
Obviously, the most important part of the job as a CNA is working with patients. This entails a wide range of things, from taking vitals, to bathing, to collecting urine and fecal samples, to helping them exercise. Certified nursing assistants are on the forefront of patient care and are needed to provide feedback and open communication between the patients and their nurses and doctors. It’s important therefore to build up a level of trust, compassion, empathy and patience combined with the ability to keep accurate records and be able to notice details that may point to a problem with the patient.
Duties of CNAs
The exact duties that a CNA will perform will be based on the individual’s employer. CNA’s can work for hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, and for private employers.
In most cases, CNA’s will perform routine duties such as taking a person’s temperature, pulse rate, and blood pressure. These professionals are in charge of answering a patient’s call for help or assistance in medical facilities or in patient’s homes. They also monitor a patient to see if their illness or injury is getting better or worse.
A certified nursing assistant will be expected to help with all sorts of personal care duties when it comes to patients. CNA’s will help patients bathe and get dressed. They will also help patients to brush their teeth and brush their hair. CNA’s will change bedpans or assist patients in going to the restroom. These professionals will help patients with all of their personal needs.
CNA’s will also help patients walk in some cases. In medical facilities, they will help people get out of bed and take them to get the treatments or surgeries that they need. Many times a certified nursing assistant will lift a patient if he or she cannot walk. After surgeries, CNA’s will help patients exercise to regain their strength.
It is also important for Certified Nursing Assistants to help keep certain areas clean and organized. They may clean patient’s room or other parts of the hospital. These professionals may also help with washing laundry in some places. CNA’s must know how to fill out paperwork.
As you can see, there are many different areas in a CNA job description. These professionals work very hard to keep patient’s happy. This job requires excellent communication skills. A CNA must be in contact with patients, patient’s families, supervising nurses, doctors, and many other people throughout a normal day. They often pass on messages and must communicate well.
As part of patient care, many CNAs end up working with families too, from offering comfort to helping build schedules for the patient’s recovery. While anything medical will be handled by the doctor, the CNA can help calm the family down.
CNAs will also be called on to help with emergency work with a level head. CNAs may have to calm patients down, aid if there is a violent patient, and help deal with stressful situations. This is rough work, but it’s important to stay calm and collected or else your feelings will only add to the general disarray and make nobody’s lives easier.
One of the other important parts of working as a CNA is to take daily records of the patient’s vital signs, physical well-being and emotional well-being. This is something that nursing assistants are well qualified to do; they work most closely with patients and so are best able to see if something is off that could turn into something worse if it’s not dealt with. Patients are sometimes more willing to talk to their nursing assistants whom they see every day rather than the registered nurse or doctor. For these reasons, it’s important to keep accurate records of the patients’ day to day life so that the doctor and nurse will know what to expect and what to look for.
CNA Work Schedules
The schedule of most CNAs falls into a few key shifts: overnight, mornings, and evenings. CNAs generally have the choice of an 8 hour or a 12-hour shift. If you’re the type of person that would not be able to see yourself working 12 hours straight, you may want to look into CNA jobs that have shorter shifts. There’s plenty of variety out there, it’s just a matter of going into this profession as informed as possible so you know what your options really are.
As mentioned above, one of the greatest aspects of CNA work is direct patient care. However, this goes far beyond merely sitting with the patient and asking them about their day.
Actually, CNA’s role within direct patient care is to build a complete picture from which the nurses on staff can better take care of the patients. If there’s something that is outside the scope of your duties, it will need to be forwarded to the available pool of nurses on the shift with you. However, it is important to learn what is actually considered outside the scope of your abilities. For example, if your state does allow CNAs to draw blood in the process of taking care of their patients, then this is something that would not be forwarded to the nurse team. Instead, you would have to roll up your sleeves and take care of drawing the blood yourself without supervision or assistance.
All things considered, CNA work is fast paced and definitely demanding, but for those that find themselves called to this profession, it can definitely be rewarding as well. With the information in this guide, you should have a better insight into what CNAs actually do.
While day to day work as a CNA may seem tedious, it’s incredibly important to the stability and well-being of everyone living and working in the nursing home or hospital. For this reason, it takes the right combination of compassion and diligence to the job well. However, if you think you’ll be suitable for helping patients, dealing with emergencies, and keeping good records, then you will be invaluable working as a certified nursing assistant.