Choosing CNA as a Career

CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant, where a trained person help out patients, clients or service users with healthcare requirements under the management of Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse(LPN).  CNAs are also known as Nursing Assistant (NA), Patient Care Assistant (PCA), State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA) or Health Care Assistant (HCA). It is one among the top recession-proof professions that will have enormous requirements in the upcoming years.

In general, CNAs take care of the basic healthcare needs by serving with activities of daily living of an individual or patients of different age groups, so that patients feel more sheltered and relaxed.  CNAs are required to work in patient’s home, nursing homes or in hospitals constantly under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) and so they are aptly referred to as “eyes and ears” of the RN.  As nursing assistants take personal care of the patients, they provide the vital information regarding the condition of individual to the RN.

A CNA aspirant is required to undergo a CNA training program, and pass the CNA Certification test in order to become a CNA.  The CNA training courses are offered by Red Cross, online nursing schools and community colleges through medical facilities.  After passing the CNA certification test, you can register as a certified nursing assistant with the States association dealing with registration of nurses.  One of the benefits of choosing CNA as a career is that the CNA program can be completed in a short period of time.  It takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete the requirements and exams of CNA course.

The designation of a nurse assistant varies from place to place.  The CNA profession is quite demanding when the workload is considered,  but, most of the CNAs agree that the work is gratifying or rewarding as they wish to help and care patients in their difficulties.  The CNAs perform tasks like recording the vitals and activities of patients and report it to the nurses.  Continue Reading »
What is a CNA?

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Prior to joining any CNA training program, we recommend that you understand the duties of a CNA or Certified Nursing Assistant. Once you have the right idea of these duties and responsibilities, you can be better mentally prepared to take the challenge of becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant.

In general, duties and range of responsibilities of a CNA would depend on the place you work, the state in which you reside and your position. In simple words, as a CNA, you would have to work under an attending nurse, and you would be expected to be her ‘eyes and the ears’.

The first and foremost duty and main obligation of a CNA is to take proper care of her patients.  As a nurse assistant, you would be responsible for the daily care and routine management of your patient.  This is especially the case when you would be assigned to take care of geriatric or elderly patients in nursing homes and day care facilities for older people.  You may also have to assist doctors and nurses to care for patients who are mentally disabled, physically disabled, ill, or injured.

As a CNA, you are expected to be quick in observations and to be able to take the right action in case any emergencies arise.  Every institution will have its own set of protocols for various procedures to be followed during the emergencies, and you’d be expected to comply with them.  You are thus responsible for the total health care package and program for your patients.   The nurse supervising you will depend on your reports about the patients. You need to feel comfortable going to the Nursing staff for assistance if the need arises. You should have good communication skills to communicate effectively in case something requires immediate attention from a Nurse.

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Duties Of A Certified Nursing Assistant

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A CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) is a trained health care professional who works closely under the supervision of an RN (Registered Nurse) in a hospitals, adult day health centers, nursing homes, or even personal homes.

Certified Nursing Assistants, in general, take care of the most basic health care needs of the patients.  Since nurse assistants have regular daily contact with the patients, they are the ones who provide vital information about the condition of patients to the registered nurse.  CNAs are considered as eyes and ears of the nurses.  Thus, a career of a certified nursing assistant can be challenging, satisfying and rewarding in many ways.

There are many benefits of starting out your career as a Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA.  The first advantage is that you can become a CNA in fairly short amount of time.  Depending upon the CNA program, it may take just only four to six weeks to complete the CNA course requirements and the examinations; and you could be earning more than minimum wages as a Certified Nursing Assistant, in as little as eight weeks.

There are plenty of CNA jobs available, even during this phase of economic recession.  So if you become a CAN, your skills will be in high demand. There are roughly 1.8 million nursing assistants employed in the United States.  CNAs are recruited in a variety of health care facilities including hospitals, clinics, and homes for the aged.  The employee turnover in CNA profession is huge as many CNAs usually pursue advanced training to be come a Registered Nurse.  Thus, there is clearly a high growth rate for Certified Nursing Assistants.

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Are you fit for a CNA career?

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Welcome to CNA Training Pro. If you are interested in obtaining a CNA certification or becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant, then you have come to the right place.

On this site, we will provide resources and information about free online CNA training programs,  Red Cross CNA Training program and other related CNA Training programs that will help you to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.  We will also provide information about the demand for CNA jobs, typical  job description of an CNA, average salaries of certified nurse assistants etc.

A CNA ( Certified Nursing Assistant) is a person who helps patients with their healthcare needs and provides bedside care under the guidance of a RN (Registered Nurse).  In the United States, a CNA is also called as PCA (Patient Care Assistant) or NA/R (Nursing Assistant-Registered.  In other countries such as the UK, CNA are also called HCA (Healthcare Assistant), NT (Nursing Tech), PCA (Patient Care Associate), Aux-N (Auxiliary Nurse) or NA (Nursing Assistant).  Whatever may be the title, their role is identical.

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Welcome to CNA Training Pro

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