CNA Jobs – What to Expect
Most CNA jobs require similar duties but some jobs do vary greatly depending on the facility and departments in which you work. Before you accept any CNA job offer, make sure you have read and completely understand the CNA job description. Many certified nursing assistants will tell you that there are pros and cons to each type of facility or department. For instance, most CNAs that have worked in a nursing home will tell you that the job is much slower and less exiting than in an emergency room or hospital scenario. Many will also tell you that the nursing home patients are more appreciative and usually there to stay so long term relationships are established. Nursing home CNA jobs also tend to pay better because the institutions usually have more government funding to provide medical care for their patients. Government programs like Medicare fund most of the expenses of nursing home patients.
There are certain duties or tasks that you will likely see in an ad for just any of the CNA nursing jobs available today. Duties such as the taking of a patient’s vital signs, cleaning and restocking of patient rooms, assisting patients with mobility, and helping patients perform basic hygiene and nutritional tasks are certainly required in most facilities. Any current certified nursing assistant will also tell you that a major part of the job revolves around dealing with a patient’s emotional well being. A patient that receives good care and assistance is likely to feel better faster. The sooner a patient can gain enough strength and confidence to handle their own hygiene and nutritional needs, the sooner they feel better and become more mobile.
Even the most extensive career training programs cannot prepare you for day to day dealings with patients and the different scenarios you are going to encounter. The human contact part of the job is amazingly rewarding but at the same time, it is also emotionally draining. In order to be successful in the medical industry, one must learn to be patient, compassionate, and understanding of a patient’s unique medical condition and limitations. A person’s ability to remain calm, cool, and collected even under the most strenuous or demanding conditions is much more important than their medical training. Patients deserve a level of care that does not depend solely on how much training, experience, or certification you have. Well rounded individuals that are able to keep their personal lives separate from their jobs are able to last longer in a demanding field such as patient care.
CNA training programs prepare students for the basic skills that are needed in order to help patients in the healing and recovery process. Checking vitals includes checking a patient’s blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and rate of respiration. The vital information is recorded on a patient’s chart so the LPNs and doctors depend on the accuracy of the information in order to provide the patient with the right medications and medical procedures that will help each patient on the road to fast recovery. The frequent cleaning and restocking of patient rooms also very helpful in ensuring that each patient has everything he or she needs in order to be comfortable and clean. Helping patients with mobility issues is very physically demanding but a necessary step in the patient care process. Patients need to be able to sit up to eat, get out of bed to use the restroom, and get as much physical activity as possible when recovering from a procedure or accident.
The most important part of any CNA position is the assistance they provide patients in completing some of the most basic but necessary hygiene and nutritional tasks. Eating, drinking, bathing, dressing, and lavatory functions are tasks that most people prefer to do for themselves but when even the simplest tasks are difficult or impossible to do, the help of a CNA is much appreciated and very humbling in most cases. All patients are not going to verbally express their gratitude but the few that do, will make every minute of the job worthwhile. When embarking on a CNA job search, look for facilities that reward their medical staff with good salaries, benefits, and incentives. The medical field is demanding both physically and mentally. In most cases, the mental aspects of the field can be quite challenging especially when dealing with difficult patients, terminal patients, or severely sick or injured patients. One must be happy and proud to serve no matter what the day or night may bring while on duty.
