Archive for the ‘How to Become a CNA’ Category

CNA or Certified Nursing Assistants are needed to work in hospitals, clinic and other health care facilities. In order to work as a licensed CNA, you have to go through several procedures. Now, you might be wondering how to become a CNA. Here are the basic steps, following which, you can become a CNA:

1)      First of all, find good CNA classes being offered at any institution. Often, the classes are run by local hospitals, Red Cross regional branches, and even community colleges. Be careful in joining any institution for your CNA classes.

2)      During the course of study of CNA, be a hard working student and prepare well for all the classes and exams. It always pays you to be a good student and have a good knowledge on your subject of career. It is important to pass the CNA exam with good grades to get hold of a job in the market.

3)      After finishing the CNA training classes, prepare well for the CNA exams. CNA exams are administered by states and CNA are required to have passes this exam before going out in the market to work. The course requirements might be different for different states, so be careful to know the syllabus of the CNA exam for the state you are applying. For this, take the CNA classes seriously and make yourself ready for the exam by practicing sample tests.

4)      After successfully completing your exam, compile an attractive resume that will help you get into an organization. While building your resume, make sure you highlight your CNA experiences, certification, and other volunteering or community service experience. You can also include any award or recognition you might have achieved. You can always look for ways to write sample resumes on the internet.

5)      After you apply for a job and get shortlisted, prepare yourself for an interview. Employers will always be looking for an array of characteristics. Prepare well ahead for your interview and try to best present yourself to the employer.

There are no hard and fast rules to become a successful CNA. But following the above mentioned basic steps will definitely help you become a successful CNA.

A nursing assistant is a medical officer whose work range can vary from watching admitted patient’s physical condition to maintaining their hygiene and feeding schedules. The main duty of the nursing assistant is the daily management of their patients such as taking care of the routine needs of the patients and report about the health of the patient to physicians. Following are the basic job responsibilities of a certified nursing assistant:

1. One of the basic tasks of the nursing assistant includes looking after the day to day personal activities of the patient. This often includes bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, feeding, ambulating and others. The nursing assistant is required to maintain the hygiene of the patient well. Along with the hygiene of the patient, the nursing assistant is also required to take care of the cleanliness of surrounding area like room, furniture, etc.
2. Nursing assistant not only take care of the patient’s hygiene but also keep an eye on the physical condition of the patient. It is their duty to look after vital sign’s of the patient such as measuring blood pressure, pulse, temperature and respiration. They are also required to collect patient’s specimens for laboratory tests.
3. Not only are the nursing assistant required to take care of feeding, toileting, bathing and other schedules of the patients, they are also required to assist the patient with various physical works such as doing light exercise, shifting positions, moving, lifting and transporting. Nursing assistant should help the patient to regain or maintain physical strength and musculoskeletal functions.
4. Nursing assistants are not only expected to assist the patients but are also expected to assist doctors and nurses in various tasks such as applying non-sterile dressings, handling of contaminated objects, reporting and observing environmental situations which might spread infection. They are also expected to maintain required documentations and paper works.
5. Nursing assistants are also expected to provide emotional and social support and comfort to the patients along with the physical support.
6. Nursing assistants are required to have a valid CNA license to work as a CNA. Moreover they are also required to have a good communication skill.
7. Nursing assistants must be willing to work in any time period. Since most medical facilities do not have a fixed schedule every day, nursing assistants should not expect for a 9-5 job. Instead they should be willing to work at any time of the day.