By
Lanee’ Blunt
images.jpg)
CNA’s
job description and responsibilities are to help patients daily in hospitals
and long-term care facilities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics more
than half work in nursing homes and others are employed in hospitals, home-care
and hospices. The work is strenuous. There is some lifting and they spend a
great deal of time on their feet as they take care of many residents. In
home-care they perform household services such as heavy and light cleaning
services.
Duties
A
nursing attendant will help their patients with daily living skills. The job
includes basic personal hygiene, grooming, bathing, combing hair, and dressing.
They will help the residents to and from the bathroom, bedpan routings, and
transports patients to their rooms and other facilities. Transfers their
patients to and from wheelchairs to their beds, and turns and reposition
patients. They perform very basic
medical procedures, taking blood pressure, temperature, vital signs, and
specimens. They listen to their patients and alert registered nurses of health
concerns. They also serve meals and assists patients by feeding them. In
home-care they prepare shopping lists, grocery shopping, and prepare meals.
Work Place
Nursing
aides work in nursing and residential care facilities, hospitals, state, local,
and private, home health care, and employment services. They have many
responsibilities in a variety of healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes,
extended care facilities, hospitals, home-care, and mental health hospitals.
They work very closely with their patients by providing basic bedside care.
Some duties may vary depending on the facility that they work for. Some
certified nursing aides dispense medication, but this depends on the state in
which they work and the level of their training. Home-care nursing aides may
have the responsibility of transporting their patients to medical, religious,
community activities, recreation, and runs miscellaneous errands.
Work Schedules
Most
work full time and may work weekends, nights and holidays because they must
provide care indefinitely.
Pay
Most
are paid by the hour. Certified Nursing Assistant’s that have more experience
will be paid more an hour. The hourly wage for a nursing assistant with little
or no experience is $7.84 to $12.24, according to PayScale.com. If they have
from one to four years’ experience the wage will start at $8.28 to $13.04 an
hour. An experienced person with five to nine years can make $8.79 to $14.39
per hour, but someone with 20 years or more will earn $9.24 to $16.22 an
hour. Most hospitals and nursing homes
offer benefits which includes medical, dental, vision, holiday and vacations.
There are some nursing homes that offer their employees no benefits.
References:
PayScale:
Job Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)
BLS:
[image of CNA] .(n.d.) Retrieved from http://utahcnacenters.com and http://conniedavisjohnson.com/
