What Is A CNA And How Do I Become One?

You might be wondering what is a CNA?. CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant, or Certified Nurse Assistant. CNA’s work in Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Adult Day Health Centers, and personal homes (private work). When there is a need for personal medical care and nursing assistance, CNA’s are often the people who carry out patients basic needs, young and old. CNA’s commonly work under the supervision of a nurse, and since CNA’s normally have extended daily contact with their patients’, they are a key part to providing vital information about the patients to the nurse.

One of the fundamental functions of a CNA is the practise of providing direct care to patients. There are many titles professionals are normally classified under, including Certified Nursing Assistants, Nurses Aides, Patient Care Technicians, Home Health (Home Help) aides, Personal Care Assistants, and many more, depending on the environment they work in and the region they live in.

CNA’s perform many functions, some of them are listed here:

• Taking a patients vital signs, such as their pulse and blood pressure
• Physical Therapy, Range Of Motion exercises are common
• Depending on the needs of the patient, you may need to dress them
• You will be required to feed patients who are unable to physically do so themselves.
• Bathing. Some patients may need a little help with this, ranging from completely dependent to completely independent
• Catheter Care and Maintenance (emptying the catheter, updating of intake and output sheets etc)
• Making the patients bed, and keeping their room tidy and organised
• Record Keeping. You will be required to document patients activity, medication, vitals and more
• Ambulation (Assisting the patient with movement)
• Reporting patients physical and mental changes to the nurse.

How do you become a CNA?

To become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), you will need to pass the state CNA exam. You can find training programs to become a qualified CNA via community colleges, hospitals, medical facilities and even online. Many states also have a Red Cross CNA class and these are highly recommended. CNA classes are for the most part taught by a nurse, and the length of the training differs depending on the specific program and the facility you take the training in. Some classes run for a couple of weeks, with a month or so of training afterwards. The classes are a great way to get a feel of what to expect in a real nursing assistant job, however your confidence and skillset will improve as you become involved in a daily routine of caregiving.

The CNA exam consists of 2 parts, a written exam and a clinical exam. You may be asked (more often than not) to bring someone with you to the test to be a ‘model’ or ‘test subject’ for you to demonstrate your skills on. The written part of the test should be common knowledge to you by the time you go to take it.

The qualities you will need to possess to become a CNA are similar to the qualities you need to be a nurse, eg: you should be caring, have patience, and be willing to do some physical activities. More importantly, you should have a desire to care for and help people.