In the field of medical, the certified nursing assistants are the professionals who help or assist nurses in carrying out daily medial work. Their primary objective is to take care of patients like assist the disabled take a bath, dress wounds, etc. They do their job under the proper supervision of a licensed practical nurse.
After completing the course, they can join at public hospitals, nursing facilities, private hospitals and other healthcare centers. However, the responsibilities and duties of a certified nursing assistant can vary according to state. If you are interested in pursuing you’re career in the field of Nursing and want to be a certified nursing assistant in the USA, then you have to enroll yourself under some CNA programs.
Qualities that you need to be a CNA
You need to have some of the basic qualities to pursue in this line like good communication skills, patience, and high understanding. You must have excellent reading, writing and speaking skills so that you can communicating with patients and understand them.
Mental fitness is important as sometime you may work under distressing circumstances, and instances arise in working with patients. You must be able to work as a team with other staff members and as individuals. You should physically fit for this job as this job requires standing and walking for long hours and must have a clean criminal record.
The process to be a CNA
Well, every state in the USA has different rules regarding Nursing, and the answer to this question will vary. But the basic process is quite same. First, enroll yourself in a certified nursing assistant training program through an accredited training college to get the best training. However, the period to complete the CNA training may vary from around three to nine months or can run up to two years.
All these depend on your state and work experience. You will acquire more knowledge and skill you choose a long-duration course. There is another option, i.e., taking training as a CNA in a healthcare facility in the USA. The health facilities will offer the proper training for a CAN, and you can even join there after completing your Nursing training.
During the training, you will be asked to work in a health facility to know about on-site skills and will be trained about that. By completing, you will be able to achieve your on-site skills training as well as having the opportunity of commencing work in the facility before getting the result of CNA exam.
There are some healthcare facilities which can allow you to work without being certified, but the salary will be quite low. So, there are two possibilities to become a CNA, first one is finding a nursing school that delivers a CNA training program and the second one is acquiring the training through a healthcare facility.
After completing your training, you need to appear the CNA exam which is commonly called as the National Nurse Aid Assessment Program (NNAAP), and it is held by the American Red Cross in the USA. The exam includes a written test and actual clinical examinations. After that, you all set to be a CNA.