Wherever personal healthcare is needed, nursing assistants (NAs) are there, playing a critical role. It includes nursing homes, hospitals, private homes, long-term care facilities, hospices, correctional institutions, and more. But what qualifications are required for nursing assistant jobs? Through the medium of this blog, let us explore the answer to the above-discussed question.
Top 4 Qualifications Required for Nursing Assistant Jobs
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Educational Requirements
Nursing assistant jobs require the completion of a state-sanctioned education program, usually taught by a registered nurse, in which you learn the fundamental principles of nursing. Such programs can be found in community colleges, high schools, vocational-technical schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Most employers require candidates to have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
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Certification and Licensing
Prospective nursing assistants typically need to complete a state-approved CNA training program. Community colleges, vocational schools, and healthcare facilities offer these programs. Training programs usually include both classroom instruction and hands-on clinical experience. The curriculum covers topics such as basic nursing skills, infection control, communication, and patient care.
Nursing assistants may be certified (CNAs), licensed (LNAs), registered (RNAs), or what’s called state-tested and approved (STNAs). There are also travel certified nursing assistant jobs, which call for short-term assignments in healthcare facilities in a variety of cities that need staffing help. Federal law requires candidates for nursing assistant jobs in nursing homes to pass a state test, have state approval, and be listed on the state registry.
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Skills and Personal Qualities
Nursing assistants, including those seeking travel certified nursing assistant jobs, must have the skills, temperament, and patience to care for patients. These include:
- taking vital signs
- assisting with range-of-motion exercises
- providing toileting assistance
- helping with wound dressing
- mouth, hair, skin, bowel, bladder, and post-mortem care
You also may be asked to make beds, help patients dress, and assist them with walkers or other equipment. You may also be called upon to turn and position bedbound patients, as well as transfer patients who use wheelchairs. Observing, reporting, and documenting the physical condition of patients rounds out the list of CNA responsibilities.
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Clinical Experience and Training
There are various clinical experience and training opportunities for nursing assistant jobs. These include American Red Cross offerings that meet state and federal education regulations. Skills and theory practice, including a clinical stint at a skilled nursing facility, is conducted under a nurse’s supervision. CNAs must also complete a brief period of supervised on-the-job clinical training in order to learn about the employer’s specific procedures and policies.
Advancement Opportunities and Continuing Education
A natural path for moving beyond certified nursing assistant jobs involves returning to school to become a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse. There are also a number of certification programs that focus on a certain aspect of nursing. For example, you may earn a medication aide certificate, which would allow you to dispense certain medications.
Working under a licensed nurse’s supervision, nursing assistants have extensive regular contact with patients and, as such, play a key role in each patient’s outcome. You’ll also keep the supervising nurse up to date on patients’ health status, which is vitally important.
How Can Wanderly Further Your Career?
If you’re interested in travel certified nursing assistant jobs, Wanderly can help you find the best traveling nursing assistant jobs available. Go ahead and take a look; you’ll find lots of opportunities in desirable locations all over the country.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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How are traveling nursing assistant jobs different from those of nursing assistants in general?
Travel certified nursing assistant jobs entail brief assignments in a variety of facilities with elevated staffing demands. Standard nursing assistant jobs are typically done in one facility over long periods.
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How much do nursing assistant jobs pay?
It varies, depending on the state and certification, but the range for nursing assistant jobs is between $12-$25 hourly.
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What is the employment outlook for nursing assistant jobs?
The employment of nursing assistants is expected to increase by four percent by 2032. As the population ages, nursing assistants will be in steady demand, which also bodes well for travel certified nursing assistant jobs.