Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA is a health care professional who is trained to fulfill certain vital medical procedures and to help with basic life needs. Nurses Aide occupation is one of the most exceptional jobs on today's industry market and requires always good physical and emotional health and clear mind as well as power to care for and love all people.
Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA is a health care specialist who is skilled to carry out certain essential medical procedures and to help with basic life needs.
To become nursing assistant,
one needs to be legal age and take appropriate training class. Although the lowest federal requirements are for 75 hours class and labs, most states have much higher requirements for Nursing Assistants to get certified.
CNA courses are offered broadly at various prices and durations. But there are also many, who offer free CNA classes, usually community colleges or various health care facilities. Some of the providers may require initial test ( basic education and English language ) to be passed before taking the actual class.
Before beginning their labs all prospective nursing assistants should provide medical checkup which states that they are free from communicable diseases, able to lift up to 75 lb and are in good health in general.
After successfully completing of all educational program and labs, and taking the corresponding tests, a state exam is needed for final certification.
State exams consist of two parts: written test and practical exam. If one fails on the written test they are not allowed to take the practical one and need to re-take the written test. And if one fails the practical exam they are allowed for two more attempts, whenever and wherever scheduled state exams are conducted.
Once nursing assistants get certified, the most common places where they can find a job are:
- nursing homes
- assisted living facilities
- hospitals
- rehabilitation centers
- doctor's offices
- special care facilities
- home care
Each of the above mentioned job opportunities require more or less explicit skills to be deployed, but as a rule all the skills can be mastered at one place: the nursing home. The more knowledge CNA-s have in the nursing homes, the easier for them to find better work later.
Nursing homes are long-term health care facilities for humans who lost their strength to take care of themselves: elderly; handicapped; folks with severe illnesses, bound in bed for the remainder of their lives; humans on artificial life support etc.
The main duty for the nursing assistants, working in the nursing homes, is to assist residents with ADL-s ( activities of daily living ) and supply all the routine care, such as:
- dressing and undressing the residents
- turning and repositioning bedridden residents
- feeding
- cleaning up residents' body excretions ( urine, feces etc. )
- bathing residents
- changing linen and making beds
- transferring residents from bed to wheelchairs or other chairs and vice versa
- answering residents' calls for help
- observing residents conditions and reporting if there are any changes
- charting in special books for all work and observations done
Nursing Aide work is one of the most exceptional profession on today's labor market due to the work surroundings and particular duties. It is very demanding, physically and emotionally work, that requires all nursing assistants to be always in good physical health and high state of mind to quickly answer back to all challenges and successfully complete their duties as well as will to care for and love all people.
Rewards for CNA work are beyond this material world as this work substantially speeds up spiritual advancement of all humans and opens their hearts for each other and for God.
