CNA Job Description Varies With Employed Position And Health Care Facility

You may have completed your nurse aide training program and earned CNA Certification, and now you must be aiming to start your career in the health care field. But, are you aware that as a certified nurse aide your CNA Job Description varies with the type of job you are employed and your job position.

As a certified nurse aide, you can get employment in a hospital, long term care unit, nursing home, adult homes, rehabilitation center, hospice, psychiatric care center or health clinics. It is also possible that you may work as a private duty CNA, home health aide, travel nurse aide, military nurse aide or school nurse aide.

Different types of Job Description need execution of specific nurse aide duties that are essential for that particular job. CNA Programs must have trained you for executing common and basic everyday routine cares, but the skill and knowledge gained from the training program needs to be executed differently for separate jobs. For example, if you work in a physicians office, you will have to perform separate set of duties than working as a home health aide.

Again, the position you are employed also needs execution of duties more related to that work. In same facility also you may be employed in different departments where your responsibilities also vary. Working in an OPD of a hospital needs performance of separate set of duties than working in an operation theater or intensive care unit.

Hospital Nurse Aide

If you work in a hospital, your job description is divided among different units of the hospital. You may work in the opd, intensive-care unit, operation room, neo natal center, neurology department, post-anesthesia care unit, neo natal intensive care unit, emergency department, pediatric intensive-care unit, cardiology or coronary care unit or hospital stores looking after medication and other hospital inventory supplies.

In an operation room of the hospital, your duties are more concentrated in assisting surgeons and specialized nurses during surgical operations. You may also have to sterilize operating knives, scissors and other equipments. It is also your duty to prepare the patient for operation and counsel him/her about the treatment and operation procedures.

If you are employed in an OPD of a hospital, you are required to attend incoming and outgoing patients, provide them medications as directed by the physician and perform other duties.

You must also remember that in a hospital, you are required to execute your duties and responsibilities under the direct supervision of a physician, registered nurse or licensed practical nurse.

But, suppose if you are working as a home health aide, your job description shows that you will have to offer care to patients who are recovering at home from long treatments or patients that are released from the hospital after certain period of time.

Home Health Aide

In the home of the patient, you may have to execute duties, such as count, measure and record vital signs, measure intake and output of fluids, measure height and weight, proper use of bed pan, dressing and undressing patients, cleaning and dressing wounds, clean the room and change bed linens.

In addition, you may also have to perform some house keeping, cook for the patient, assist in movements through wheel chairs and walking, supervise exercises, answer light calls and execute numerous other duties.

Therefore, your CNA duties are specified to units and positions you are employed. Even your CNA salary also depends on these factors and as a certified nurse aide working in an Operating room or Intensive care unit you earn much higher than working as a home health aide.