CNA Jobs, Employment, and Career Outlook

As a nurse aide, you are supposed to perform and fulfill the following duties and responsibilities:

• Conduct the preliminary interview of patients and greet them.
• Nursing assistants collect vital information about the patient’s condition including height, weight, respiration, pulse rate and blood pressure.
• CNAs take care of the patient’s personal hygiene which includes- shaving, bed bath, and nail care, etc.
• Interact with and observe the residents, and report health issues to the supervisor.
• Keep the patient’s space clean and organized.
• Arrange meal trays, feed patients and record the fluid/food intake.
• Make beds, help toileting the patients and also empty their catheter bags.
• These nurses perform their jobs under the supervision of LPNs and RNs.
• They direct the visitors and answer the phone calls.
• Reposition the bedridden patients, in order to prevent bedsores.
• Nurse aides’ help patients walk and transport them using wheeled cart or wheelchair.
• They also assist in caring elderly (geriatric) patients.
• A nurse aide sets up all the required medical equipments and assist supervisors in medical procedures and personal care.

One must possess the following skills to acquire the job of a certified nursing assistant.

Soft Skills

• Excellent observation skills to identify a person’s actual health condition.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• S/he should be proficient enough to prioritize the work.
• Outstanding literacy skills so as to document the records.
• A CNA job aspirant should be capable to follow the encoded protocols.

Technical Skills

• In-depth knowledge of elementary methodologies and infectious disorders is a must.
• Complete understanding of physiological issues and working system of the human body.
• CNA job aspirants should be capable of observing the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations.
• S/he should be multi-tasking and hard working.

There are a wide range of health care settings that provide employment to the certified nurse aides. These are:

• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Pediatric care
• Retirement facilities
• Home health aide and residential care agencies
• General surgical hospitals
• Assisted living centers
• Psychiatric hospitals
• Rehabilitation centers

The job of a certified nursing assistant gives a sense of satisfaction and proud, since this profession offers you an opportunity to contribute towards the well-being of the society. Some other advantages of being a nurse aide are:

• Becoming a CNA requires short training program that finishes in 4 to 8 weeks.
• Financial aid for aspirants is also available.
• They enjoy several perks such as dental vision, good overtime, medical insurance, retirement benefits, life insurance, AD&D insurance, paid holidays, etc.
• It is a recession-proof profession that remains unaffected by the national economic conditions.
• They have a number of working alternatives other than hospitals as they can render their services in residential care facilities, hospice, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, retirement communities, long term care facilities, clinics and day care centers, etc.
• Flexible job hours make this job more lucrative.
• They have fewer job responsibilities than RNs/LPNs.

Though the job of a nursing assistant is gratifying, it demands hard work and ability to face challenges.

• CNAs are considered entry-level professionals; hence, they are rewarded with an average pay scale.    
• During emergencies they might have to work in night shifts as well.
• Long working hours make this job very tedious.
• In order to get promoted, CNAs need to take additional training courses.
• This physically demanding job requires proper care of bed-ridden patients. They have to assist the patients in their day to day activities which make this job quite taxing and strenuous.
• Back injuries are quite common in this profession.
• CNAs come across different kinds of patients. They have to handle their aggressive and inappropriate behavior calmly.
• Nursing assistants are exposed to the risk of several contagious diseases.