Overview
Wherever there is a need for personal care, certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), or nurses aides, are there. Nursing assistants are the caregivers who, for the most part, help patients of all ages perform the most basic day-to-day tasks. CNAs work under the supervision of a nurse, and since they have extensive daily contact with each patient, they play a key role in keeping the nurse up-to-date on vital information about the patients' conditions.
Nursing assistants work closely with patients and provide assistance with such tasks as:
- Dressing
- Bathing
- Feeding
- Making beds
- Toilet Assistance; catheter care
- Taking vital signs (Blood pressure, pulse, etc)
- Helping patients walk
- Assisting with range-of-motion exercises
- Helping wheelchair-bound patients (entails heavy lifting)
- Turning bedridden patients regularly
- Reporting all changes to the nurse
- Safety awareness
- Documentation
- Post Mortem Care
To learn more about this career, watch the video profile of "Nursing Aides, Orderlies and Attendants."
You can download, save and print a PDF of this career profile:
Nurses Aide 16 May 2008 [pdf, 167 KB]
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Salary:
$16,640
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$29,120
[*]
Years in school:
0
-
1
after high school graduation
Job outlook:
Excellent
Student Profile
Robert Guerrant
Nursing Assistant and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Robert says the biggest surprise about studying to become a Nursing Assistant and EMT is the amount you learn. He never thought he’d know so much about the human body.
Read more
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