Wednesday, August 7, 2013

You've Done Your CNA Training, What's Next?


No doubt that once you've fully completed your CNA training you'll want to find a job in your local area, so you're going to need to understand the employment options available to you. The good thing about being a CNA is that you can pretty much work any where you like in the health care setting you just need to find the right job for you.

The remainder of this CNA training article will aim to provide you with the facts relating the employment prospects of newly qualified Certified Nursing Assistants.

There are several employment options open to you as a newly qualified CNA, you just need to have a good look around the local health care providers in your area. When you're searching for a job consider that there are 4 main types of CNA employment on offer, these include the following:

  • Home care employment

  • Hospital employment

  • Long term care employment

  • Doctor's surgery employment

The first and also the most popular type of CNA employment is working within the clients home, more and more these days people want to stay in their own homes for as long as they can without having to go into long term care facilities, this is where the home based CNA comes in. The home healthcare CNA cares for someone in their own home, this means that the person can stay in their own home and maintain their own independence whilst still receiving the care and support they need. The duties of the home based CNA include things like shopping, cleaning, cooking, washing, assisting with personal hygiene needs and nutritional support.

The second type, and most commonly available type of CNA employment is that in the acute sector, I.e. within the hospital based setting. Within the acute care sector CNA's work directly alongside registered nurses and other registered practitioners, for this reason the role can be a lot more fast paced and challenging at times. The duties of the hospital based CNA are often a little more technical based, offering you the opportunity to care for patients who are undergoing surgery and medical intervention. Such patients require things like blood pressure, pulse, optometry, respiration and blood glucose monitoring, something which you don't do in patient homes.

The third type of CNA employment is that in the long term care setting, this includes nursing homes and residential care homes. Duties within the long term care facility can often be similar to those in the home setting, including things like washing, dressing, feeding and bathing. Working in a nursing home setting can be rewarding since you get to know the residents you're looking after, however it can also be emotionally demanding at times. One of the major positives of employment within the long term care setting is that the availability is growing slowly due to more and more people living longer.

The final type of CNA employment is that within a doctor's office or GP practice, this is one f the slowest paced jobs and is usually an option for those older CNAs who are looking for something a little less physically and emotionally demanding.

Whatever your choice, your CNA training will set you up for each of the above settings, however it will only be your own experience and time which will give you the true skills needed to succeed in each area.

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