prepare students to apply client self-care concepts and basic procedures relative to fundamentals of nursing, communication, nutrition, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, legal and ethical issues, and medical terminology. The Nursing Assistant Training Program consists of 65 classroom hours, 20 laboratory hours, and 65 clinical hours - a total of 150 hours. Being a CNA myself, I can really relate to this topic.
We are what you would call the unsung heroes. We have more one on one contact with the patients therefore we know what is going on with them before anyone else does. We get the patients ready for appointments and reposition the ones that are not able to do it for themselves. The Nursing Assistant establishes and maintains interpersonal relationships with the patients and other hospital personnel while ensuring confidentiality of patient information. CNAs that do not pay careful attention to their patients and their belongings could face charges such as: theft, assault and battery, negligence, abuse, false imprisonment, defamation, and invasion of privacy. A person who has completed a brief health-care training program, and who provides support services for RNs and LPNs. Also known as an orderly or, when certified by a state agency, a certified nurse aide (CNA). Many hospitals offer education and orientation programs for newly hired nurse's aides and inservice education for continued …show more content…
training. Similar to other health practices, ethical issues in nursing arises chiefly with the changing environment within the medical profession as well as the technological advancements that come with it. As the nursing profession begins to specialize into many different fields of expertise, several ethical dilemmas are encountered and often times overlooked. Such ethical issues occur based on the kind of technology involved. This highly depends on the clinical specializations whether in mental health, cardiology, oncology or rehabilitation. It goes without saying that the consequences that arise from these ethical dilemmas are most likely varied.
Based on the studies, there are five major issues shared by most clinical practices. The most common involves patient independence and privacy. Such result is quite expected given the fact that the patient’s individual rights do intercede with the medical practice. People would always assert their awareness of what is good for them but in truth, there are experts who know what is better for us when we speak about our health. The ethical issues in nursing as well as the situations where such issues arise are being encountered by health practitioners on a daily basis. It is about time that nurses and nursing students learn how to manage and confront these kinds of situations in a professional manner. Expertise on the management of ethical issues in nursing should be given utmost importance in this day and age. Technological advancements in the medical field require for us to adapt our behaviors and standard protocols to the changing environment. There are many stipulations to becoming a Nursing Assistant such as, complete an approved nursing assistant training program, complete an application for Certified Nursing Assistant Examination Pass the written and manual
tests. Complete fingerprint requirement Felony Convictions: According to A.R.S. 32-1646(B), an applicant for nursing assistant certification is not eligible for certification if the applicant has any felony convictions and has not received an absolute discharge from the sentences for all felony convictions. The absolute discharge from the sentence for all felony convictions must be received 5 or more years before submitting this application. If you cannot prove that the absolute discharge date is 5 or more years, the Board will notify you that you do not meet the requirements for certification. Effective January 1, 2008, based on Federal and State Laws, all applicants must provide evidence of citizenship and nationality. Once becoming a Nursing Assistant, one has many things to avoid in any facility such as, theft, you take any personal patient property, no matter the size or value, and you could be charged with theft. Even if patients offer it to you, you still should not accept it. With so many cases of Alzheimer’s, patients will give you something one minute and forget the next, so stay safe don’t accept any gifts. And then there is a chance of one facing charges of Assault and Battery. Assault is the intention or threat of hurting the patient, and battery is the act of doing so. Treat the patient with care and kindness, and you won’t have to worry about this in your CNA training or otherwise. Negligence is also an ethical challenge faced in the profession. Giving a patient the wrong food or even food at the wrong consistency could be seen as negligence. You as the provider must be careful and pay close attention to the needs of the patient individually. Perform all your duties related to the patient as instructed. Missing or incorrectly doing one part of the care could be construed as negligence. The same rules that apply to our children as we are their caregivers, applies to the elderly and vulnerable adults. Abuse is another phase of ethical challenges faced in this line of work. Abuse is a term used to describe any harm, be it physical, verbal, mental/emotional, or sexual. Do not kick, slap, or physically hurt the patient. Don’t swear or curse while caring for the patient at any time. Do not do anything that will make the patient fear you. Do not address the patient sexually or do anything that could constitute sexual abuse over the course of their care. Any orders to move a patient to seclusion for the safety or well-being of other patients should come from a superior. Making decisions on your own without supervision and or a witness could be constituted as abuse. False Imprisonment this shocks most people, primarily because they don’t have a clear idea of what it actually means. It doesn’t mean you wrongfully send your patient to prison. If you restrain your patient without obtaining the appropriate permissions first, this is technically considered false imprisonment. Defamation is the act of saying or writing something about a patient that damages their character and is not true. Do not say or write anything down about anyone that you do not know for sure to be fact. Discussing patient medical history with anyone other than the doctor, immediate family, or the patient himself, could be considered an invasion of privacy. If you are not sure if someone should have access to the information, do not give out any information without getting the appropriate permissions from the patient or his/her representative. During the CNA training phase, you will learn more about ethics, legal issues and what you can do to combat them. As long as you do your job to care for the patients you shouldn’t have to worry about legal troubles. If there is any question about what to do in any particular situation, speak to superiors to ensure you’re making the right move. Without instructions from doctors or other medical professionals, the uninformed CNA may cause legal issues to arise.