A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) has to perform a variety of duties as they are in maximum contact with the patients.  CNAs have many responsibilities as they are more close to patients then even the nurses or doctors.

A typical day as a CNA would be something like as follows,

In the morning, a CNA will have to help patients dress up and help them in any of their morning tasks.  This includes helping in the bathroom especially in the case of elderly and extremely ill patients.  They would be required to feed people who can’t feed themselves.  They will have to take vitals for serious and old patients.  This might also require listening to the lungs and heart, also the recording of the breathing of the patient.

As the afternoon progresses CNAs would help to transfer patients to the different appointments.  They would have to pass out linens and reposition patients if need be.  Also, they will have to make the patients bed and feed lunch if need be.  Vitals have to be taken for very sick and very old patients.  They would also have to walk the patients who can not.

In the evening,  CNAs would have to help patients with changing clothes.  They will also have to feed dinner.   They may also need to help patients bathe or give patients a bath.  Thus, a CNA is there for the basic needs of the patient throughout the day.

If patients have used diapers, these need to be changed by nursing assistants.  If these are non disposable then they have to be cleaned by the nursing assistant through water pressure in hopper rooms.  Other random duties include emptying catheters for patients and emptying used bedpans.

In the night  or graveyard shift, CNAs  are suppose  to check on their patients more  often and also to take their vitals if required.  They would also have to help the patients to the bathroom and change diapers.

One needs to be properly trained to become a certified nurse.  Once trained, you have to pass a test and only then do you get a certification.  There are many CNA jobs available, as there are always going to be people who are sick or involved in accidents who are in need of care and attention.

Nursing assistants are mainly there to help nurses in providing basic care to patients.  CNAs report to their nurse and have to give her a complete summary  at the completion of every shift. Also they have to give the complete handover to the next shift.

At the closing of every days shift,  the nursing attendant’s final task is to fill documentation as to  what all was done for each patient in an organized fashion.  It could be  written on paper or fed into the computer as per the organization standards.  Documentation includes toileting sheets, bath sheets and bowel records, skin sheets from baths, transfer sheets, hallway assignment sheets and bed alarm records.

The day will end with you tired and exhausted but you will feel needed and rewarded for the truly noble profession of nursing. So, before you enroll for CNA training, you should get a good idea of typical CNA duties, and assess yourself if you’d really like this type of job.

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