Nursing Fundamentals – Vital Signs

When you undergo CNA training, you will learn about taking vital signs also known as vital parameters.  This is one of the most important lessons that an aspiring nursing assistant undertake.  Taking vital signs is necessary in order to check whether an individual’s body is functioning properly.  Any fluctuation in the vital signs, the person feels discomfort and falls sick.  Nursing assistants help the nurses in measuring and monitoring the vital signs of patients throughout their shifts.

Measuring for vital signs would include monitoring the breathing rate of a patient by checking his lungs, checking the blood pressure of the patient, monitoring a person’s body temperature, and checking the pulse rate.  Every individual whether woman or man has a standard number for vital signs corresponding to her or his age.  Therefore, in order to assess your patient’s condition accurately, you need to take the vital signs tests efficiently and accurately. Continue Reading »
CNA Training – Taking Vital Signs

Why getting CNA Certified is necessary?

In any profession, undergoing a formal training takes you a notch up in the ladder of success. Likewise, a nursing assistant who undergoes training formally can qualify to undertake the nurse aide certification course.  All you have to do is getting certified as a nursing aide after undergoing CNA training at a recognized institution.

Becoming a certified nursing assistant (CNA) requires state approved certification.  A nurse aide is not the same as a certified nurse aide.  The former is not certified whereas the latter has to undergo certification by the State Board of Nursing with whom the certified nursing assistant is registered.

A certified nursing assistant, therefore, performs all the tasks of a nurse aide and more.  As a result of it, a CNA will also earn far higher in comparison.  A nurse aide is qualified to help and aid patients who need physical assistance and even help in checking their vital signs.  But they are not authorized to use and apply the skills learnt by a certified nursing assistant.  The certified nursing assistant is empowered to work at health care facilities, doctor’s offices as wells as home health locations.

A nurse aide, who enjoys working and making nursing a career, can seek to qualify as a certified nursing assistant by choosing to undergo training to certify even while working as a nurse aide.  A lot of healthcare facilities take on nurse aides to work with them and this also helps them to take on additional training both on the job as well as formally so they can take tests and qualify for a higher position or change to a more paying department.  The earning potential and better job opportunities increase in proportion to acquiring professional certification as a nursing assistant. Continue Reading »
Why CNA Certification Matters?

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What does CNA Skills Test cover?

The Certified Nursing Assistant exam involves a written test and the practical or skills test.  This set of tests examines your understanding of the basic concepts and skills required for becoming a proficient Nurse’s Aide or Certified Nursing Assistant.

The CNA written test is comparatively easy to get through if you have been diligent in taking notes during the classroom sessions and are able to revise and recapitulate it all and you have gone through the nursing manuals supplied for the course, before appearing for the written test.  It covers all the fundamental concepts, the medical and pre- and post-surgical procedures that form the basis of the CNA training course.

The written test is easier than CNA Skils test to attempt.  This theory test generally covers medical knowledge of basic medical theory and medical procedures.  A CNA course takes a period of between a few weeks and three months to complete.  This includes theory classes conducted in the classroom along with practical training that gives guidance in clinical application to put the skills learned in the classroom to practical use.  Under the supervision of a guide, who is usually a registered nurse, the clinical training is conducted with real patients.

The clinical aspect of the CNA skills test is comparatively more of a challenge as it tests the individual’s clinical skills.  The candidate is requested to get a model patient to demonstrate their skill as a part of the practical examination.  The examiner then puts the candidate to test by asking them to display any of the various skills they have mastered during the course of their training sessions.

The clinical skills tested in the CNA skills test may include anything like taking a patient’s temperature, changing wound dressings of a patient, moving a patient from the bed to wheelchair, making the patient’s bed, holding a bedpan, grooming a patient or even just washing hands to display personal hygiene or knocking at the patient’s door before entering to demonstrate patient privacy.

All the demonstrated skills are observed carefully by the examiner who makes the evaluation. As a matter of precaution, it would be prudent on the part of the examinee to be calm and not stressed while performing any of the given tasks for evaluation of their clinical skills.  Your success in course completion is dependent on your composure and ability to stay calm under the most stressful conditions.

The supervision of the CNA exam is undertaken by a state examiner who carefully observes and evaluates every step of the examinee’s presentation.  The examiner may also evaluate the examinee by giving him a mock case and making him go through the motions of handling the model patient as if it were for real.  Recalling the minutest of details helps a great deal to demonstrate your skill at being in control of the situation.

CNA Skills Test Practice

So, are you ready for taking your CNA certification exam?  Well, if you have attended all your theory and practical classes sincerely, you should not be afraid to take the CNA exam. However, we recommend the following two books for your CNA Skills Test practice as well as for written CNA Test preparation.  Your confidence will boost up after using these valuable books and DVDs on written as well as skills test for CNA, and you will fare much better in these tests.

1.  Competency Exam Prep and Review for Nursing Assistants

2.  Mosby’s Textbook + Video Skills for Nursing Assistants

For more information, check this post on CNA Test preparation

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CNA Job Description in Nursing Home

CNAs working in nursing homes have to deal with patients who are generally senior citizens, or others who need long term care, so their duties vary considerably from those working in hospitals and other health care facilities.  They need to develop a long term relationship with the patients, so being compassionate is an important trait required for this job.  Also they need to assist the patients in their daily routine activities, so the job is physically demanding.  If the CNA is placed in  community care, the work will keep them running through out the day.   But, wherever they are placed, they are expected to offer compassionate care in a very polite manner.

Regarding the continuing care community, a CNA has different types of duties like assisting the patients while walking or moving from one room to another in a wheel chair.  In general, patients need assistance while they move around in wheelchair from their rooms to activity room, dining hall or other areas.  Few other needs assistance while eating and other kind of activities performed in day to day life.  CNA working in nursing home will have to bathe most residents as the physical condition of those patients doesn’t allow them to carry out activities on their own.  Some patients will require help with toileting.  In some cases, CNA has to wear and change adult diapers for the residents.  Residents who don’t have the ability to move their body on the own has to be assisted by CNA to reposition every two hours in order to avoid bedsores.

Some residents have to be assisted to fulfill their grooming needs. Some patients have to be helped to brush, comb and makeup.  In men, CNA might have to assist while shaving and in cases, CNA has to shave the patient’s hair.  Few ladies might ask CNA to paint their nails or to assist them in putting different hair style.  The CNA some times has to change the resident’s linen as well as slight cleaning works.  The CNA will be instructed to perform duties similar to house keeping when they are appointed

The CNA also has the responsibility to oversee a patient while exercising.  If they are capable of exercising, the CNA has to watch them and observe their motion type.  The presence of CNA is important either to assist the patient in doing some difficult exercises or to report to the higher authority if any problem occurs while exercising.  But, the CNA can’t act upon their choices; they will be guided by a professional medical staff.

As a certified nursing assistant, they have to consider vital signs of the nursing home patients whenever necessary.  They include checking temperature and blood pressure.  The CNA might have to observe and report the food intake of nursing home residents. Both the solid and liquid form of food must be noted and reported.  Some times, CNA might assist to evaluate readings of blood pressure.  If the residents of nursing home become ill or gets hurt, the CNA has to report to the higher authority immediately and see to that the patient is being addressed as soon as possible.  Though we have come across a varied range of duties, it is not mandatory to perform all of them regularly.  The duties of CNA vary depending on the nursing home they are placed.