Certified Nurse Assistant

Education Requirements:
High School Diploma or GED
Completion of an accredited Nursing Assistant Training Program Click here for more informationCertifications:
Certificate program and Completion of a state certification exam.
Salary Range:
$10.00 - $14.00 per hour
Educational Institutions:
Employment Outlook:
High Job Demand
Job Overview:
Nursing Assistants are also known as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) or Patient Care Assistants who work under the direction of nursing staff and provide basic care to individuals who have trouble with mobility or who are simply too ill or weak to perform necessary personal tasks. CNA duties including helping patients eat, drink or with grooming. They often dress and bathe patients, shave their faces and brush their teeth. Patients can sometimes feel sad or lonely. A large part of this job is giving patients company and support.
Job Tasks:
- Answer patient call signals to determine patient needs
- Dressing and/or bathing patients and providing oral hygiene, skin and hair care
- Feeding
- Toilet assistance, bowel and bladder monitoring
- Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings or support bandages
- Provide physical support to assist patient to get out of bed, walk, stand or exercise
- Assistance with walking or transporting patient in a wheel chair
- Lifting, repositioning and turning bedridden patients
- Assistance with range-of-motion exercises
- Various observations that require reporting to Nurse staff
- Record vital signs such as temperatures, blood pressure, pulse or respiration rate as directed by medical or nursing staff
- Change bed linens and make beds
Skills and Abilities Needed to Perform Job:
- Knowledge and use of Microsoft software (Office, Excel, Work Outlook)
- Knowledge and use of tools and equipment to assist in patient care (wheelchairs, gait belts, canes, thermometers and stethoscopes)
- Oral Comprehension – Ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented in writing
- Service Orientation – Ability to provide excellent customer (patient) service (care)
- Problem Sensitivity – Ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong
- Active Listening – Ability to give full attention to what others are saying and taking time to understand
- Oral Expression – Ability to communicate information in speaking so that others will understand
Desired Work Style Attributes:
- Attention to details
- Integrity – Honest and ethical
- Cooperation – Pleasant with others
- Concern for Others – Sensitive to needs of others
- Dependability – Reliable and responsible
- Stress Tolerance – Accepting criticism and dealing calmly in stressful situations
- Self-Control – Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check