Due to the growth of patients that requires prompt medical services, the job nurse assistant is now in high demand. However, most of the people are still unaware of the roles and responsibilities of medical assistant in a health institution. Working as a certified nursing assistant, or CNA is not an easy thing. Nurse assistants carry out the vast majority of the tasks that is needed to help keep the hospitals and long-term care centers working. They assist the patient in their personal hygiene and they also take the vital signs and changes bed linens.
What is a Nurse Assistant?
A nurse assistant can be a person who implements different tasks in care of patients in convalescent homes, hospitals and other medical facilities within the direction of medical and nursing staffs. They are responsible in transporting patients, using wheelchair or wheeled cart, or assists patients to walk. Nurse assistants are also the one that repositions and turns bedfast patients, with assistance or alone, in order to avoid bedsores. Nurse assistants are also recognized for their constant care to patients.
Duties of a Nurse Assistant
- A large amount of nursing assistant’s work involves personal care duties such as bathing, feeding, and also dressing the patients, as well as brushing their teeth and combing their hair. They also help the patient in and out of the bed, often by lifting and carrying them.
- They are also responsible in assisting the patients with walking as they travel to and from treatments and surgeries. All the nurse assistants answer the patients’ call for help and take their vital signs, and monitor their behavior and physical condition for deterioration or progress.
- All nurse assistants work under the supervision of an experience nurse and report any problems or also worsening in patient’s condition to the facility staff.
- They are also responsible in stocking and keeping storerooms clean. Doing laundry, cleaning patient rooms and assisting with minor medical procedures are also done by a nurse assistant.
Work Condition of a Nurse Assistant
A nurse assistant must enjoy working with people and must possess good communication skills. They must be compassionate people who are skilled at comforting the sick. They are usually working in hospitals, clinics and any medical centers. They are provided uniform and safety gears against any harmful diseases from their patients. They work 40 hours a week and are required to work nights, weekends, and also holidays. Some of them are required to work 10 to 12 hours a day.
Educational Requirements of a Nurse Assistant
To become a nursing assistant, one must have a high school diploma. He/she must enroll in a certified nursing assistant program. Such program is usually last between 6 to 12 weeks.
Occupation and Progress of a Nurse Assistant
The nursing assistant’s job is very in demand nowadays. They spend the most of their shift on their feet, walking and standing in the hospitals and other medical centers. Everyday many patients are to be assisted by a nurse assistant into or out of bed. Since this job is physically strenuous, a nurse assistant must learn the proper ways to lift the patient. There has been a noted excellent employment rates for nursing assistants. A career as a nursing assistant is predicted to boost higher than the average in 2014, according to many surveys.