The role of the certified nursing assistant is very popular probably because you can start working almost immediately. Your employer will often pay for your training and it only takes 75 hours of training to become qualified in most cases.
Usually you won't start working with patients until you have completed at least 16 hours formal education requirement. Your training will consist of theoretical lessons as you will need to study medical ethics, patient care etc and also practical skills such as taking vital signs, measuring blood pressure, how to feed someone incapacitated and other skills. When you do start working, the guidelines suggest that you only do the type of work for which you have been trained.
A lot of the
certified nursing assistant training takes place while you are working as you will be putting the knowledge you have gained into practice. You should be closely supervised though so you don't have to worry about putting patients at risk. When you have completed your full training your skills and knowledge will be tested. You will have to take a multiple choice paper which can be written or oral and you will have to demonstrate your ability to do certain skills. Once you pass this test you will get your certificate.
You cannot practice as a certified nursing assistant until you have met the requirements of your states nursing board. Often they will accept the CNA exam but you do need to check. You don't need to pass the exam first time round either as you will be given a couple of attempts to pass each section. It is worth noting that just because you become certified in one state doesn't mean you can work as a certified nursing assistant in another state. You will need to check with the relevant nursing authorities.
You must be capable of working long hours especially when you will be standing for a lot of this time. You may also have to lift patient. Even using specialist lifting gar you need to have strength and stamina. People don't become a certified nursing assistant for the pay or the hours. They tend to join the profession because they want to work with people and often have no interest in going to college.
