Certified Nursing Assistant Essay

Being a certified nursing assistant is a rewarding and fulfilling job. Certified Nursing Assistants work directly under a Registered Nurse. They can work in a variety of locations. Hospitals, nursing homes, and personal homes are some of the major places that hire certified nursing assistants. In the healthcare field, certified nursing assistants are the backbone. Their most important job is being the eyes and ears of the nursing staff. Certified nursing assistants spend the most time with patients or clients. If a patient or client suddenly starts to degrade or change mentally, it is up to the nursing assistant to alert the nurse of these changes.
What do they do?
A nursing assistant’s main job is providing help to those who cannot fulfill
their basic needs. For the most part, this consists of help with ambulation and personal hygiene. In more extreme cases, this job can mean feeding the individual and taking care of all their hygienic needs. They may also be asked to administer medication or treatment. When working in a nursing home or hospital setting the nursing assistant is responsible for taking vitals. Another important job that nursing assistants have is ensuring the cleanliness of the patient or client's living space. Cleanliness is important, especially for those who are more fragile, to ensure that they do not catch something from an unclean living space or trip over something.
If something does go wrong, certified nursing assistants must be good at documenting. Documentation is highly important in the medical field. Documenting even the smallest changes ensures that the nursing assistant and charge nurses are on the same page when it comes to the patient or client's care. Companionship is the most important part of the job if one decides to become a nursing assistant. Companionship comforts these people who may be sick or frail which allows them to recover faster and stay strong longer. This job requires a high amount of compassion for others. It is perfect for those who are interested in providing care for other people and are not afraid hard work.
How do you become a Certified Nursing Assistant?
If one decides to be a certified nursing assistant they need to have high school diploma or G.E.D. Some places will hire people as a non-certified nursing assistant and provide the necessary training for them to work as a nursing assistant. However, these are few and far between. For those going into the profession, they need to enroll in an educational course. These courses are offered online, at small colleges and trade schools. These programs are on the cheap side. Even still, for those who have financial issues, there are financial aid programs to pay for the program.
It takes around 4-16 weeks to complete a certified nursing assistant program. They separate these programs into two separate sections that consist of theory and clinicals. Theory teaches the important terminology and state required practices. Clinicals allow them to apply the information they have learned. After completing the educational program, the next step is to take the test for your licensing. This first part of the test consists of multiple choice questions which test you on the most important terms and general knowledge. The second part of the test is your practicals. The practicals ensure that you have learned everything you need to give patients or clients the best care possible before you get your
license.