Certified nursing assistants (CNA) work on the front line in patient care situations. Most certified nursing assistants work under the daily supervision of nurses, to perform the vital service of helping patients with their day-to-day living activities, and help with some minor health care needs. Certified nursing assistant jobs provide patient care in a nursing care facility, hospital or anywhere patient care is needed. A nursing assistant’s skill and compassion helps to offer physical care, as well as emotional support to their patients.

A common nursing assistant job description is helping patients with daily tasks. Many CNA’s are employed in hospitals with patients that need long-term care or in hospital care settings to assist nurses. A few chores that a CNA must perform in a day is: serve meals, answer calls, provide care, monitor and set up medical equipment, assist with medical equipment, make beds, help the patient take a bath, eat and dress, basic medical procedures, change catheters, sterilize equipment, clean patient rooms, provide documentation and help with transporting handicapped or sick patients.

Certified nursing assistant jobs are an excellent entry point for a career in nursing. CNA training is short, and can usually be completed within 6 to 12 weeks. At the end of your training a CNA certification exam must be passed. The CNA classes can either be taken online or at a university, local college or formal training center. Classroom training is divided into two sections, a classroom study setting and a practical session. In the classroom setting, students will learn about infection and nutrition control, medical terminology, physiology, anatomy and basic nursing skills. Then the practical section will train the student in a real-life situation. Formal training is recommended, rather than an online class, since employers prefer graduates, which have had experience in a practical setting. Online training can be convenient, and allow the student to work at his or her own pace with no time restraints, although the CNA certification exam must be taken in a training institution.

Certified nursing assistant jobs are usually in hospitals or working as home healthcare aides. A newly certified CNA may want to take advantage of working in a hospital, as opposed to becoming a home healthcare aid for several reasons. The benefits of working in a hospital are; you will receive a permanent work contract, a definite work schedule with sick time, benefits and paid leave. A hospital position pays extra for late night, additional or overtime shifts. In this setting, you always have supervision from a nurse who will be able to teach you new things, and help you in a time of need. The chances are that you could earn a lot more with a pay hike, according to the standard government rates. Home healthcare aides receive lower salaries, and minor pay hikes. Many employers pay only for your on-site work, and not for your travel costs and travel time. As a home aid you may be paid only hourly rates, and receive no benefits.

Thousands of jobs are available within the healthcare industry. Since the elderly population makes up most of the demand for CNA’s, the need for certified nursing aides continues to rise. Within the next ten years, it is predicted that there will be a 28% increase of jobs for qualified CNA’s. The statistics for nursing aides state, that the demand for nursing aides should rise up to the year 2016. Now, the job demand for CNA’s has surpassed any other medical job in the United States.