CNA Careers - Make A Difference
Medicine now cares for patients in a team approach way. One of the most important positions on this team is the CNA. If you are considering a job in medicine, become a nursing assistant. This will give you a flavor of what medicine is about and if it would be a good fit for you. CNA Careers are as varied as any in medicine.
Career Outlook
Probably the most common areas that CNAs work are in hospitals and long term care facilities (nursing homes). But other options for cna employment include home care and private nursing. In some home care situation there is a separate test that is required of the CNA prior to employment.
Because of the structure of the medical field, nurses and doctors are not able to spend as much time with each patient as the CNA. This places great importance on the position of the nurse aide. They are working closer to the patient than any other team member. It is the responsibility of the CNA to report any unusual changes that they may find during the daily care that they provide. CNA Careers create people that are known as the "eyes and ears" for their supervisors. Registered Nurses and CNAs become a very tight team due to the great trust that is placed in nursing assistants.
Job Description
One of the daily tasks that is asked of CNAs is to do vital signs. Usually these are done multiple times throughout the day acording to the doctors orders. These vital signs include obtaining a temperature, blood pressure, pulse, counting respirations and assesing the patients pain level. All of these are taught in the CNA class that are required for this certification.
CNA Careers must be taken serriously because the acuracy of these items is parmount. A rising tempurature could indicate infection, an increase in blood pressure may need medical intervention or just a diet change, a decreasing blood pressure could indicate hemorrhage. Because the CNA is the one doing this work he/she would notice the change first and must be able to communicate this to her supervisors.
CNA jobs outside of a formal institution will allow for more independence but then take on more responsibility. This is the reason some home cares require an additional test for their CNAs. The person that strives for a CNA Career will also be expected/required to take CPR and know how and when to call a "code blue". If you want to make a difference in the lives of many then become a nursing assistant. As you can see this is a very trust worthy, fulfilling position.
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