Being Fit for Your Certified Nursing Assistant Job

Before you commit to becoming a certified nursing assistant, you need to make sure that you are a good fit for the job. To really excel as a CNA, you need to be overwhelmed with your desire to positively affect people's lives with your compassion. The job is very stressful, though the fact that you're helping people in need can make it very personally rewarding. You need to be able to feel rewarded for helping people out this way, as being a CNA isn't the kind of job that you take on just because you need something that just pays the bills. If you are in it just for the pay check, then you shouldn't proceed. The money alone will not award you with the patience, sense of humor, and deep compassion that the position requires.

cna

Being a CNA is a tough job, and it's not surprising that the turnover rate is so high. After all, to start the pay rate just isn't commensurate with the level and volume of work you will likely be required to perform. You will often be working with fewer people than your facility demands, putting more work on you and increasing the number of problems that can come up and decreasing the individual care you can give others. This is an important issue, and it's becoming more and more of a problem in a lot of facilities. There is a greater and greater need for good CNAs, and the number of people certifying is not keeping up, while the number of veteran CNAs continues to turn over.

CNA

We are currently in the middle of a crisis when it comes to direct care in this country. There are shortages in a lot of position, not least of which as good CNAs. Part of the reason is the relatively low pay that is given to CNAs. Another reason is the high turnover of experienced CNAs, and the fact that you are almost always going to be working short-staffed in direct care. The work itself is already difficult and demanding, and all the more so when you don't have enough support. There are more and more positions opening up in direct care, especially with the continuing rise in nursing home, and the supply is not meeting this new demand.

CNAs are vital members of any and all facilities. The exact nature of the work that you do is going to largely be determined about the environment that you work in. For example, in Hospitals you will probably work with more patients at a time, and you will be likely to meet a lot of new people and only work with patients for a few days or weeks before they leave your care. On the other hand, long-term care facilities like nursing homes allow you the time to develop long and deep relationships with your patients. A patient in a long-term care facility is likely to be there months or years, giving you a lot of time to work with them. No matter which you choose, you will always play an important role in their experience.

CNAs ultimately tend to have a lot more direct contact with patients then any other members of the medical staff. You will end up being their primary point of contact and give them more care than anyone else in the facility where you work. Because some patients might be staying with you for years, it's important that you work to develop the deepest and most loving relationship possible with them.

Being Fit for Your Certified Nursing Assistant Job

Rita Hayward is a medical expert who specializes in helping people get into their desired medical degree or complete their medical training. She has a broad knowledge on cna training and the different types of cna certification that can be done to become a fully qualified certified nursing assistant.

CNA