subject: Basic Roles Of A Certified Nursing Assistant [print this page] Basic Roles Of A Certified Nursing Assistant
Certified nursing assistant is usually abbreviated as CNA. CNA requires a very caring and gracious personality, as many times they have to deal with very non-cooperative patients. These are the nurses who are in contact with the patients, directly .These nurses performs all the basic nurse duties like feeding, bathing changing bed pans and linens of the patient, moreover these nurses also help the senior nurses in their tasks. It is also very important that CNA candidates are cheerful and enthusiastic because they not only have to take care of patients physically but also support them morally.If you have all the qualities of becoming a CNA, then it is not very difficult to qualify for the job of certified nursing assistant. If you want to become a CNA, then all you have to do is just get enrolled in some well reputed institute for the training. This training is usually of few weeks and there are number of colleges offering this program. It is advised that you check that the institute is accredited by the state's board of nursing because if the institute is not accredited, you will not be able to appear in the exam. Red Cross which is very well reputed institute is also offering CNA training programs under the supervision of very experienced and highly skilled professionals. You can also get your CNA training online by getting registered with one of the website which is accredited by the government.After getting the training from an accredited institute, you need to appear in an exam for the certification. This exam consists of two sections; first section tests your theoretical knowledge and the second section will test your practical work. In the first section of your exam you will get some MCQs to solve and in the second section you will be taken to a ward and will be asked to deal with different scenarios. In the practical section you will not only be tested for your work procedure but you will also be tested for your ability to work under pressure. Once you pass this exam, you will become a certified nursing assistant and then you can start working as a CNA.There are number of job opportunities present for a CNA, they can not only work in hospitals but they also have jobs waiting for them in different nursing homes and sometimes they even get hired for the patients at home. A CNA usually working in hospitals have a shift of eight hours and they have to perform their duties for five shifts per week. The timing of these shifts keeps on changing between night, evening and morning shifts and sometimes they have to work on the weekends but then they get two weekdays to rest. A CNA hired for private patients are required to be with their patients round the clock but they get some extra facilities like the accommodation and food. A new CNA earns about 10 dollars per hour which is a high pay scale.
