Certified nursing assistant carries out several activities when it comes to patient care activities. They carry out their work under the supervision of a registered nurse. Their work is based mainly on the patients alone. They help the patient in dressing and un dressing, eating and bathing when it is necessary. The also collect non invasive body fluid specimen and gather vital signs but they do not start or administer intravenous fluid. For an accredited nursing assistant program, a high school diploma and a certification form is required.

The certified nursing assistants are not registered nurses therefore they do not have powers same as the registered nurse though they offer assistance to the registered nurses in most of their duties. The certified nursing assistants are in most cases highly experienced but they cannot carry out many advanced duties due to the legal matters and lack of full training. Working as a certified nursing assistance provides an individual with better insight into the profession of health care. Most of the nurses work as certified nursing assistance before they pursue a four year degree program.

A certified nursing assistance qualification includes, registering of the hours worked in hospital or any other health care facility. Some of the responsibility of a certified nursing assistant includes; making beds, keeping the residents space clean and tidy, toileting residents, bringing the resident to the therapy area, turning bed ridden residents to prevent bedsores, emptying catheter bags, taking care of a resident’s personal hygiene, including bed bath, shaving and nail care among others.  They also have the duty to observe patients and then report the observations to the supervising nurse, and should also be able to administer CPR and first aid, as well as assist registered nurses in carrying out daily duties and also are expected to serve nutritional supplements. When it comes to certified nursing assistance, a certain degree of creativity and latitude is expected from the individual concerned.

For anyone who wishes to earn a nurses assistant certification, or CNA, earning a medical assisting or nursing assistant degree is usually required. Most often, an associate's degree from one of the schools below will be sufficient. For those wanting a more advanced degree, bachelor's level programs are also available.

	Kaplan University — Kaplan's associate's degree in medical assisting at their School of Nursing offers courses on numerous topics including community nursing care, management, and informatics. Graduates of this program will be eligible for becoming a CNA.
	University of Phoenix — The nation's top online university, Phoenix, offers an associate's degree in health care that will prepare its students for becoming a certified nursing assistant, a qualification that would put you in a postition to become part of a healthcare administration team.
	Herzing University — The AS degree in medical assisting at Herzing University prepares students for jobs as medical and nursing assistants at physicians' offices. Students are trained to perform routine lab tests, help a doctor in the ER, and handle some administrative duties.
	Carrington College California — Formerly known as Western Career College, the Carrington College of California offers an AAS in health information technology that instructs students on not only how to use medical technology, but also how patient information is gathered and stored.
	Keiser University — Keiser's eCampus Online offers an online associate's degree in medical assisting, which is a perfect fit for busy professionals looking to earn a degree that will lead them into a position as a certified nurses assistant because of its flexible class schedule.
	Virginia College Online — The health services management bachelor's degree from Virginia College is an advanced degree for the medical assistant who is seeking more of a management role in his/her career.
	San Joaquin Valley College Online — SJVC is a private junior college that offers an associate's degree in clinical medical assisting, a perfect place to get started for anyone aspiring to become a certified nurses assistant. Students will learn CPR, injection admin, first aid, and more.
	American InterContinental University — AICU offers a unique associate's business administration degree with a specialization in healthcare administration. Anyone interested in advancing a career in the healthcare industry would be well served to obtain education in business.
	Rasmussen College — For the nursing assistant looking to enlarge his/her role to management, the associate's degree in medical office management offered by Rasmussen will teach all of the necessary skills.
	Baker College Online — The bachelor's degree in health services administration at Baker combines basic coursework with advanced independent research to deliver a robust education to the working professional interested in advancing a healthcare career.
	Ashford University — The bachelor's degree in healthcare administration offered by Ashford University is designed for the medical assistant or CNA who wishes to obtain more of a management role in the healthcare industry.
	Walden University — Walden offers several health studies degrees as well as a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree program for individuals aspiring to make a difference in the world of health care. All courses are geared toward working professionals with busy schedules, so classes are flexible.
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