Monday, April 15, 2013

Credentials and Opportunities to Be a Certified Nurse Assistant


The Certified Nursing Assistant credentials are gained after passing a written and clinical program of training for 2 to 3 weeks or 3 to 6 months depending upon the state, the frequency of lessons and institution you are gaining the certification from.

The Certificate covers keeping the rooms and beds clean, reporting the patient's condition, taking vital signs, infection control and Oral hygiene, serving and helping the patients eat. They even assist in medical procedures, emergency and CPR, handling legal issues for nursing, assisting in medical procedures and the environmental safety of medical unit.

The students partake 16 hours of clinical training which provides them with hands-on experience of assisting in patient care with a doctor and nurse. Most typically the employment opportunities exist at Health Care Agencies, Nursing Homes, Hospitals, Doctor Offices, Day Care Centers, Medical Clinics, Hospices, Assisted Living Facilities, and Urgent Care Centers.

You could opt for Certified Nurse Assistants training through continuing education to enter the medical field. A person can go on to study and serve as a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse through continued education.

The students are introduced to various health related topics besides this they are taught to deal with ethical and legal issues necessary for patient care. The courses help develop deep understanding between the nursing assistants and nursing professionals.

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act asks the certified nurse assistants to be graduates with an accreditation of 260 hours long course. The Certified Nurse Assistants course does not vary much and lay down the foundation of Nursing Assistant Certification Exam. The technical training requires the Nurse Assistants to be proficient in taking vital signs, tracking the patient's progress through emergency procedures and charts, etc.

They need to have good interpersonal skills and a good understanding of patient's rights. They are required to rehabilitate the patient and make them comfortable. They are required to have a deep understanding of complex legal and ethical issues. Most Certified Nurse Courses require the student to have a good understanding of their duties laying groundwork for further vocational growth as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Vocational Nurse.

A certified Nurse Assistant is not a Medical Assistant even though both the jobs are similar there is a vast difference in the two. In many cases the people who want to make nursing a career would chose a Certified Nurse Assistants work than a Medical Assistants.

The Certified Nurse Assistants provide bedside care unlike the Medical Assistants whose duty is to take care of patients, greet them, take their vital signs, complete medical records, educate patients, improve and give health care instructions, provide medication, etc. most of the above duties are similar but the medical assistants provide ancillary tests as ordered by physicians and other health care professionals which is not done by the Certified Nurse Assistants.

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