• Q: I have a Certified Medical Assistance certificate. Can i work as a Certified Nursing Assistant without being certified as a CNA?

• A: – No, you are required by law to have a CNA certificate if you wish to work as one.

• Q: Will i undergo a background check before i can become a CNA? – What kind of stuff will they be looking for?

• A: Yes, you will be required by law to undergo a background check before working as a CNA. The only thing that definately will not harm your chances of becoming a CNA are minor traffic offenses. Everything else will be looked at, but this does not necessarily mean if they find anything that you’ll have no chance of becoming a CNA, it just depends on the offence.

• Q: What exactly is a CNA?

• A: A CNA, which stands for Certified Nursing Assistant, is a person who cares for people with a broad and varying range of health care need. Usually, a CNA will work alongside an RN (Registered Nurse) or an LPN (Licensed Nurse Practitioner) and/or a Doctor.

• Q: As a CNA what will my basic job duties be?

• A: As a Certified Nursing Assistant you must first and foremost, be in generally good health yourself. You will be required at times to stand for long periods of time, and you’ll need to lift things, move things around, including the patients!. As a CNA you must have reasonable senses ie: You’ll need to be able to see and hear quite well. Things like Reading, Writing, and the ability to do basic math and calculations are also a pre-requisite.

• Q: How do i become a CNA?

• A: To become a Certified Nursing Assistant you’ll need to complete and pass your CNA Exam. Before this, you’ll need to actually do a CNA Training course. Each different State in the US have different pre-requisites for this, and most have a minimum amount of hours that you’ll need to complete. This does consist of both clinical and classroom time however, so your time learning will be split between both. After training is complete, you’ll take the State CNA exam and will be required to pass at least 80% of it in order to become certified. CNA training can be found for free in some states, or as a paid course. Some employers will pay for it for you, and some courses can be found online… have a look around.

Certified Nursing Assistants Jobs and Tasks

A CNA needs to have the ability to work closely with people, because they offer intimate levels of care such as grooming, bathing and feeding, its imperative that they are able to communicate with and strike a bond with their patients. If you are a service orientated person who derives pleasure from helping others, and are capable of providing comfort and reassurance to those who are in distress, then becoming a CNA might be the perfect career choice for you.

Alongside providing a high level of physical, emotional and social care for your patients, you will also need to pay a great attention to detail. A certified nursing assistant is responsible for taking a patients vital signs, and they must also relay important info on their patients condition directly to their superiors.

Being a CNA can be a bit of a juggling act at times. Yet, if you are capable of multi-tasking and you have strong organisational skills, then you’re off to a great start. Becoming a CNA is a great way to introduce you to the medical proffesion as a whole. From the point you become a CNA, you will be able to choose if you would like to progress further by becoming an RNA, an x-ray technician, or a multitude of other choices. You will also be able to take a good look at your advancement opportunities, or, like a great many certified nursing assistants, being a certiied nursing assistant might be exactly what you want to be, and no further advancement is neccessary.

Certified Nursing Assistant Training

CNA Training and CNA Certification will be your first step into the field of medicine. In order to become a bonafide, certified CNA, you will need the following things:

• A High-School Diploma (or its equivalent GED)
• You will need to complete a 6-12 week CNA Certification (CNA Training) Program.
• You will have to have a clean criminal record.

CNA training programs are widely available, and can be taken in most states in the US. Requirements for each state may vary,  but you’ll easily find classes that are available via community colleges, medical facilities, and also some adult education facilities. Some of these CNA training programs are sponsored by employess, while other courses guarantee you a placememt once you’ve completed your cna training and recieved your cna certification. Before you make your final choice, be sure to check out all the training options.

CNA Training Cost

The price for certified nursing assistant training can vary depending on where you take your course. The national ‘average’ cost to complete your cna training, take the cna exam, and recieve your cna certification is between $400 and $1000, which is not a huge amount, considering once your complete your training you’ll imediately be able to become employed as a certified nursing assistant.

Note: Be vigilant!. Some training facilities list their CNA training programs as all inclusive, total amount. Where other places list the cost of training materials needed, exam fees, and other costs seperately. Be certain your fully clued up on the total cost before you enroll in a cna course.

What does CNA training entail?

You’ll partake in classroom lessons which go over physiology, anatomy, nutrition, food handling and other basic nursing skills. You will also learn proper and sanitary ways to handle a multitude of different substances in order to help prevent the spreading of infection and disease. Don’t be frightened by this though, you will not be sent out into the field of nursing without being fully prepared for it. Through your cna classes, you’ll gain vital hands on experience and your confidence levels will rise as your knowledge does, and you’ll soon gain all of the qualities needed to become a certified nursing assistant.

Once your training has ended, you will be required to take your cna certification exam, which is offered/provided by the National Association of Home Care. When you do your cna training, you’ll likely partake in one, or a multiple pre-tests, or mock tests, which will help you become more aware of what will be required in the actual exam, and what points you need to focus on etc.

CNA Salary, how much does a CNA earn?

As a fully qualified Certified Nursing Assistant, you will work in a proffesional environment and earn a comfortable living. The latest salary data taken in 2009 states that the medium level income for a CNA is in-between $20,000 and $25,000 per year. For those who have more experience and more ‘years’ on the job, you can easily earn from $35,000 upwards per year.

Becoming a certified nursing assistant is a rewarding and fulfilling career choice, and after taking and passing the cna exam the career choices are limitless. So what are you waiting for? get started with your cna training now!

As of February 2nd, 2010, The American Red Cross has in excess of 36 CNA Training programs available across the United States. It goes without saying, that the Red Cross CNA Class is a great way to begin your training as a CNA, and is reputed to be one of the best. For many people, becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is merely a stepping stone on the way to becoming a fully Registered Nurse (RN), although many people have had lifelong enjoyable and immensely satisfying careers by staying at the CNA level. The choice is entirely up to you, depending on how far you want to go and what type of work you wish to do.

All CNA training programs ran by the American Red Cross meet the Federal CNA training standards, although each chapter has the ability to design their own program to meet specific state requirements and laws, including the number of hours you must spend on a course, and also the clinical training standards of practises and procedures. As an example, the San Bernardino chapter in California consists of a 164 hour course in total, whilst The ARC of Maryland course consists of only 114 hours. It is worth keeping in mind, that the more hours in a course there are, does not mean that they provide ‘more’ (or a better level of) training, the difference in hours can be attributed to many different variables, including of course different states having different laws.

CNA training course costs also vary in price. The San Bernardino chapter CNA training course costs $1,750, while the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter charges $1,400 . (prices are accurate at the time of writing)

Below, you will find a list of the American Red Cross chapters that offer Certified Nursing Assistant training (CNA):

• Madison/Marshall County, Huntsville, AL
• American Red Cross of Central Alabama, Montgomery, AL
• American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
• Inland Empire, San Bernardino, CA
• American Red Cross, Sonoma & Mendocino Counties, Santa Rosa, CA
• South Central Connecticut, New Haven, CT
• Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, FL
• Central Panhandle, Panama City, FL
• Space Coast, Rockledge, FL
• Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL
• Southwest Georgia, Albany, GA
• Northeast Georgia, Gainesville, GA
• Coosa Valley, Rome, GA
• Hawaii State, Honolulu, HI
• Louisville Area, Louisville, KY
• American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay, Cambridge, MA
• Berkshire County, Pittsfield, MA
• Pioneer Valley, Springfield, MA
• American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts, Worcester, MA
• Central Maryland, Baltimore, MD
• Southeastern Michigan, Detroit, MI
• American Red Cross of the Twin Cities Area, Minneapolis, MN
• Elizabeth H. Dole Chapter, Salisbury, NC
• Concord Area, Concord, NH
• New Hampshire, West Keene, NH
• Great Bay, Portsmouth, NH
• Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, OH
• Keystone, Johnstown, PA
• Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• Allegheny Region, Reno, PA
• Black Hills, Rapid City, SD
• Hiwassee, Cleveland, TN
• Greater Richmond, Richmond, VA
• Green Mountain, Bennington, VT
• Chippewa Valley, Altoona, WI
• Lakeland, Green Bay, WI

You can get contact details and up to date program information about these CNA training classes and other American Red Cross training courses from the ARC website

A Certified Nursing Assistant must have the ability to carry out routine directions given to them by a registered nurse or doctor, in relation to their patients or residents they care for. They must be willing to follow a prescribed routine with due care and technical apt, while maintaining patient privacy and discretion. CNA’s should have the ability to get along well with others, and to work hard to gain co-operation from patients and residents. Certified Nursing Assistants must be punctual, neatness and personal cleanliness are paramount.

However, that said, the main duties of a Certified Nursing Assistant will always be the care of their patient(s). This will likely include basic daily care of a patient, giving assistance where appropriate such as helping with eating, getting dressed, movement, toilet, exercise, etc etc.

As a qualified CNA, your duties are likely to also include taking and recording patient information, which includes taking their vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respitory rate,temperature), assessing your patients level of pain, and monitoring their weight.

Nurse Assistants are also required to report on their patients. Depending on the location and type of facility you work in, you may need to report to a registered nurse, doctor, or supervisor. A CNA is expected to be the eyes and ears for their superiors.

CNA’s need to be a special blend of person. They need to be patient, caring, responsive, punctual, aware, and most of all, responsible and work with professionalism. A Certified Nurse Assistants role may vary, but your #1 function will always be the welfare and wellbeing of your patient, and as such a CNA cannot afford to be distracted or dis-interested, otherwise the patient will suffer.

Here are some ‘real life’ examples of duties of a Certified Nursing Assistant, taken from a ‘Help Wanted’ classified ad:

• Assists in walking, feeding, bathing and related restorative and rehabilitative care activities for
  patients and/or residents and aids in caring for their personal needs and comfort;
• Assists nurses in lifting and turning patients and/or residents, in restraining disoriented patients
  and/or residents, in holding patients and/or residents for treatment, in care of involuntary patients
  and/or residents and may assist in preparing them for surgery;
• Helps regulate number of visitors and gives information to visitors in accordance with instructions from
  the nurse in charge;
• Assists professional nursing personnel in carrying out assigned range of motion, promotion of self-help
  and independence activities and reality orientation;
• Assembles information concerning the patient’s and/or resident’s condition and enters reports on the
  patient’s and/or residents record;
• Cleans and sterilizes equipment;
• Labels and stores patients’ and/or residents’ clothes and turns over valuables to person designated by
  the facility;
• May assist with care and moving of room furniture, fixtures and supplies to help keep patients and/or
  residents safe and comfortable;
• May assist in cleaning, laundry, resident feeding, and resident transportation, as needed.

A certified nursing assistant should expect a certain amount of physical activity as part of the job, however most people with average health and muscle mass should manage this no problem.

I hope this list of duties of a certified nursing assistant gives you a clear view of what is expected of you when you do the actual job.

Certified Nursing Assistants are in essence, the people who ensure that residents of nursing homes are cared for properly in the most basic but essential ways. Responsibilities that a CNA has are things like ensuring residents are clean (bathing or helping them bathe), and insuring that they are completely dry so that skin irritations and problems do not arise. Other CNA duties consist of things like brushing teeth, maintaining a patients hair (brushing and cleaning) and also many other basic hygeine tasks you would do for yourself, but for the patients you are caring for who are unable to do these things for themselves.

In addition to this, some patients in nursing homes may require to be fed by certified nursing assistants, specially so if they have suffered a stroke or other illness that impairs their motor skills. As such, having a Certified Nursing Assistant to care for them  is essential to them maintaining a high standard of living each and every day.

Certified Nursing Assistants also provide nursing home residents with help in maintaining their flexibility and mobility. CNA’s are trained to use and provide Range Of Motion exercises on residents, which are used to help keep joints, limbs and muscles flexible.

In addition to all these duties, CNA’s must always maintain a high level of personal interaction with residents or patients. CNA’s have a role of being a patients companion and friend as part of their job description. Many residents in nursing homes can be lonely and have very few, if any, family or friends to visit them. This can lead to depression, which can in turn spark other illness’s and conditions, so the emotional support CNA’s give is a vital part of their job, as the patients may not receive this from anywhere else.

Being a CNA comprises of medical, physical and emotional support, and all 3 are just as important as each other.

Checking a patients vital signs is very important, because it provides valuable information on whether or not a patients body is functioning as it should. The rate of a patients vital signs is compared against a chart containing the standard number for that persons age and sex. Learning how to perform the vital signs test accurately will ensure you have an up to date and current assessment of your patients condition, which can then be related back to the supervising nurse and/or doctor.

Taking a persons pulse gives a superficial idea of how their heart is functioning. If a pulse is too fast or slow, or skips a beat, these are crucial indicators that a patient may have an underlying medical condition that needs to be dealt with. There are a variety of places you can take a patients pulse from, the most common being placing the index and middle finger over the patients artery located on their wrist. There are also arteries available on the neck, arms, chest, abdomen, thighs and back of the knees in which a pulse can be taken. Having multiple areas in which to take a pulse from can be benificial if the patient has impairment or pain in any of their limbs, and ensures you will always have a place in which to gain a superficial idea of how well their heart is performing.

Temperature checks will tell you whether the patient is over or under heated. The baseline for a human temperature is 98 degrees (farenheit). A little over or under this number is normally ok, but any large differences should be noted. When a body overheats, it goes into what is known as a ‘fever’, and can be a warning signal that there is something wrong, from a simple cold to more serious illness’s. Temperatures can be taken in a variety of ways, the most common being orally, anally, under the arm, and in the ear (with the correct equipment).

Blood Pressure tests provide information on how much force the blood is applying to the arteries and blood vessels. Monitoring blood pressure will tell you whether the patients blood pressure is too high or too low, and give an indicator to which treatments are needed to solve the problem.

Last but not least, CNA’s need to check the patients lungs to determine the breathing (respitory) rate, which is vital to determining the health of the lungs. Using a stethoscope, a nursing aide will ask the patient to breath in and out, whilst listening to the depth and number of times a person breathes. Taking a patients respitory rate is an important vital sign to monitor, as it can give indications of improper lung function, illness’s and other conditions the patient may suffer from.

An important character trait of a CNA is the need to be thorough. You must be dependable, and reliable. Your employer will rely on you to show up to work when you are scheduled to do so, and failure to do this can leave patients without the proper care they need, and can put further strain on the existing staff of the facility you work within.

A further benefit of being thorough is when caring for your patients. Ensuring you clean your patients body, change dressing, and bed covers thoroughly will raise the comfort levels of your patient, while also preventing un-needed disease and infections from arising. Being meticulous in your work and duties, however large or small, is a crucial part of being a CNA, and your employers will count on you having this trait.

Patience is also a vital trait for a Certified Nursing Assistant. In your job you will deal with people who need your assistance for a variety of different reasons, your patients will be fully aware that there are certain tasks they cannot perform by themselves, and as such they will rely on you to help them with this. As a qualified CNA, you will already have the necessary training required to take care of someone, but one thing they do not teach is patience!. This is a quality that if you do not already have, you must ensure you develop it. There will be times where a patient may have difficulties explaining what it is they need or want because of speech or mental difficulties, so you must be prepared to be patient and understanding of this. In a similar vein, some patients may be elderly or physically impaired, and as such cannot walk or move very fast, patience is key to dealing with people like this.

Patience is a vital trait needed to be a good CNA.

Another good trait to have is to be tactful. Your patients will not always be happy, some may be in a mood for one reason or another unknown to you, and some may show little appreciation for the tasks you perform for them. However, as a trained nurse assistant, you must remain civil and cordial. There are certain ways to get a patient to complete their physio exercises, or to move so you can make their bed, without being harsh or abrasive towards them. At no point should you ever show negative behaviour to the patient, whether they are being negative towards you or not. Of course, there is a line that must be drawn, and at no point you should give in to being a patients mental or physical outlet, ie: a punching bag!. As a CNA you must have the ability to express your concerns to the patient (and your superiors) in a civil, respectful and cordial manner.

CNA Training Classes provide you with the technical know how and understanding to perform the job of a nursing assistant successfully. Further developing the above qualitys and traits will be of great service to you and your own character, as well as to the job you perform as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

To become a fully certified nurse assistant in the US, you will be required to take and complete a nurses aide program which is approved by the state you choose to take your training in. Completing a state approved CNA program will ensure that you have completed the necessary number of classroom and clinical hours that are need for qualification and certification.

The CNA certification exam is regulated and administered by each state, and covers both the written and clinical section. For the clinical section of the exam, you must be able to show your ability at bending and moving a patient, measuring the patients output of bodily fluids, taking a patients vital signs, and other various daily maintenance jobs that are related to caring for a patient in a long term care facility or other health institution. Having full comprehension of the required skills will ensure you gain state certification, and recieve a vital placement on the state registry, guaranteeing to employers that your are fully capable of performing the job of a Certified Nursing Assistant, beyond the supervision of a clinical setting.

After you obtain your certification as a nurses aide, its vital that you maintain and increase your skills as you progress. CNA’s in some states are required by law to complete a specific number of hours of continuing education credits (CEU’s) each year in order to maintain and keep their certification. There are some states that even require you work a certain amount of hours each year in order to keep their certification.

As you gain experience as a nursing aide, there may arise opportunities to develop and further your skills, which require more certifications. Nursing assistants are not allowed to distribute medicine to patients, in some states however there is a special position which is called a Certified Medicine Aide. To become a CMA, you must have a CNA certificate, and also have a satisfactory length of employement and experience as a CNA. Upon completion of the course, which can be obtained through organisations such as The Red Cross, a nursing assistant will now have the added ability to distribute medication to patients, and the responsibility that comes with that.

As with most career choices, taking the intiative to increase your range of skills will ensure that you can perform your job above and beyond the required level, increasing your employability and making professional advancement easier.

The CNA test consists of both theory and clinical tests.

CNA training is available on campus, and online. The advantage of doing it online is that you can study from home, and the prices are very affordable compared to their on campus counterparts. The only downside to online training is that it cannot cover the physical aspects of training, like being shown and then attempting to move someone, being shown and attempting to use equipment etc. This can of course be done at a facility, and many online courses offer the chance to book a few hours in one.

The length of training can range from anything between 2 weeks to several months, depending on the course you take, and the demands and requirements of the state.

After you complete your CNA training and gain your Certified Nursing Assistant certification, you will be able to perform many health care jobs with efficiency and confidence, including:

• Measuring Vital Signs (eg: Temperature, Pulse, Breathing, Blood Pressure etc.)

• Recording Vital Signs and history for each patient, for reporting back to a supervising nurse.

• Moving around,  and helping patients up, when required. Helping the patient with physio at the advice of a Physical Therapist.

• Dressing Wounds

• Feeding Patients, and helping maintain food tubes

• Inserting and maintaining catheters as advised

• Disinfecting the patients room, keeping the room clean and organised.

• Communicating with the patients, and also relaying vital information to the supervising nurses and doctors.

As a qualified nurse assistant, you’ll gain confidence and become an expert in many basic health care jobs. This is why you have both theory and practical training. The theory training will help you with the ‘hows and whys’ of the job, and the practical will give you hands on experience, teaching you to have good presence of mind for the job.

The list above are the requirements that the CNA Training Class will train and equip you with. The CNA Training Program teaches you all the required amount of confidence and knowledge you will need to pass the test with flying colors.

Whichever CNA Training Program you choose, train hard and you will succeed , good luck!.

Nursing Aides, who are also known as ‘Nurse Aides’, ‘Nursing Assistants’, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), Geriatric Aides, Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, Orderlies, and ‘hospital attendants’ generally provide ‘hands on’ care, and perform routine tasks under the supervision of other medical staff.  A CNA’s tasks can vary, as nursing assistants handle many different aspects of a patients care. Common duties that most CNA’s will perform is helping their patients to eat, dress,  move around, while keeping their room neat and tidy.

Certified Nursing Assistants also answer calls for help, deliver messages to and from the patient, serve food, make beds, tidy rooms etc. Some nursing aides are also responsible for taking a patients temperature, pulse, respiration rate, and blood pressure. They may also help patients get in and out of bed, help them walk, escort them to examination rooms when needed, and also provide skin care. Sometimes a CNA will be asked to help other medical staff at the facility by setting up medical equipment, moving supplies, and assisting (where possible) with some procedures. Aides also observe and monitor patients physical health and emotional condition, and report any changes back to the nursing and medical staff.

Certified Nursing Assistants who are employed in nursing care homes are often the sole caregivers, having much more contact with residents and patients than other members of staff. Because some residents stay in a nursing care home for months to years at a time, CNA’s develop long term relationships with their patients, and interact with them and their lives in a positive way.

Home Health Aides help the elderly, or disabled, to live in their own homes instead of health care facilities. Under the supervision and direction of medical staff, they provide health related services to the client, for example, administering oral medication. Like Nursing Aides, Home Health Aides may check their patients pulse rate, temperature, and respiration rate, also helping with simple exersize. They may also help patients get in and out of bed, dress, bathe, groom etc. On occasion, a home health aide might change non-sterile dressings, give massages and provide the patient with skin care. They can also help with braces and artificial limbs. Home Health Aides with the right experience and training, may also assist their patients with medical equipment such as ventilators, which help patients to breath.

The majority of the time, most Home Health Aides work with patients who need more extensive care than their family and friends can provide. Some help discharged hospital patients who have short-term needs.

Doing some CNA Training, and in turn becoming a Certified Nurse Aide, can give you a job for life. You’ll have the security of knowing you’ll always be able to work, you’ll earn a respectable living, and most of all you will have pride and satisfaction, which not many other jobs offer!