Certified Nursing Assistants - CNA Job Description and Outline

Do you want to work as a certified nursing assistant but just can't make up your mind yet? There are so many careers in the medical field but how do you know a nursing assistant it the right career choice for you?
A CNA is a certified assistant that helps registered nurses and other members of the medical team. A nursing assistant will follow orders made by his superiors as well as proceed with his regular CNA job descriptions just like the following:

1. A certified nursing assistant will follow orders that are given by registered nurses, nurse practitioners and other members of the health team. He understands basic medical terminologies and proceeds with precise skill when it comes to taking care of patients. A registered nurse or a head nurse closely supervises a certified nursing assistant's work and he reports directly to his superiors for any questions or concerns about his job and about patients directly under his care.


2. He is not allowed to make nursing or medical decisions on his own and is not allowed to give medications to patients. A certified nursing assistant however may be allowed to provide or administer medications and various treatments under the close supervision of a registered nurse like nebulization for asthma, topical medications for skin conditions, eye medications like eye drops and many more.


3. A part of a CNA job description is to take care of patient's personal needs from the time the patient is admitted to the time he is discharged. He changes bed linens, assists patients as they bathe, do personal care activities like brushing, shampooing and even dressing up when the patient is unable to do so due to his medical condition.


4. A certified nursing assistant will help patients as they are advised to visit specialists in the hospital premises or when the patient is transported to various diagnostic departments in the building. He does not leave the patient behind; he endorses the patient with care to the receiving nursing assistant or hospital employee and comes back when the procedure is over.


5. A part of a CNA job description is to support patients as they ambulate or move on their own after a major surgery or any other procedure that may impair a patient's ability to move for several days. He may also transport the patient as per order of the attending physician to rehabilitation departments or physical therapy departments for continuous support.


6. Certified nursing assistants will assist in transporting patient to other treatment facilities within the hospital like the surgical suite, maternity or delivery suite, the nursery, dialysis centers, etc. He may also be advised to accompany patients in recreational places within the hospital facility like indoor or outdoor parks, the cafeteria, the chapel, the library and many more. He is made aware of the patient's condition and he is also able to check for untoward signs and symptoms that may merit an emergency.


7. Also included in CNA job descriptions is providing excellent care and accommodation as the patient stays for a very long time in the hospital. He is compassionate especially to the less privilege and spends time comforting patients who may be disturbed or depressed about their medical condition.


8. Certified nursing assistants have different CNA job descriptions depending on where they are assigned in a hospital setting:
   Delivery or maternity suites - they are assigned to change linens, make sure that supplies and materials needed for delivery are prepared, cleaned and sterilized, accommodates mothers as they are anxious about delivery and many more.
   
   Nursery - certified nursing assistants must be able to clean, bathe, feed, burp and change newborns during their short stay in the nursery. Nursing assistants may be asked to bring newborns as they room-in with their moms.
   Surgical suite - change linens, clean and sterilize surgical equipments, pack instruments for sterilization, clean and sterilize the surgical suite, make sure all supplies are complete and in order before and after a surgical procedure is over, assist in lifting, moving and transporting patients and many more.
   
   Wards - a nursing assistant helps change linens, assist patients for primary care and instruct patients in the rules of their short stay at the hospital.
   
   Emergency room - certified nursing assistants assist nurses in cleaning patients, mobilizing patients, administering nursing procedures like inserting catheters, giving enemas, providing tepid sponge baths, getting the patients vital signs and monitoring intake and output. Patients involved in accidents, medical emergencies and acute cases need quick responses from the medical team and a certified nursing assistant's help is perfect in case there is a high volume of emergency cases coming in.
   
   Geriatric care - old patients need to be monitored closely as they move about, eat, take their medications, adhere to medical treatments and in various physical activities. Nursing homes need certified nursing assistant to help assist seniors in their daily activities as well as assess for the current state of health of their patients.
   
   Doctor's clinics - certified nursing assistants may also be assigned to doctor's clinics where they can work as medical receptionists. They will find patient's records as the patient arrives, weigh the patient, assist the patient as the nurse takes his temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure and many more. He may also prepare the doctor's office as a new patient arrives by changing soiled linens, preparing diagnostic instruments and many more.
   Pediatric area - children may be harder to manage in a hospital compared to adults and parents need the help they can get. Certified nursing assistants may help giving young patients a bath, a sponge bath, grooming and even feeding. He may also assist the nurse as the vital signs of the patient is taken as well as the intake and output for regular shift monitoring. Kids are listless and may complain as they are confined for days in the hospital. Certified nursing assistants must learn how to accommodate adult patients as well as pediatric patients to make their stay at the hospital a pleasing and relaxing one.