CNA Careers and Jobs

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) receives training to provide very basic care to patients. Since they are not registered nurses (RN), they do not have the same abilities as the nurses they assist. Most of their duties will be to assist their supervising nurse in caring for patients and reading medical charts. This career path is a great way to start out in the medical field; if CNAs are interested in furthering their career and becoming a nurse, they can continue their education while working.

CNA Job Duties and Responsibilities

Doctors and nurses operate on busy schedules tending to many patients, so they rely on the training and ability of CNAs to help with basic care in order to ensure that their patients receive adequate and proper care and attention. There are many day-to-day responsibilities that make the role of a CNA vital to any medical facility. Some duties and responsibilities that CNAs can expect to handle include:

Making beds/changing linens
Maintaining room cleanliness
Dressing/undressing patients
Feeding patients
Bathing patients if necessary
Changing bedpans/emptying catheter bags
Overseeing patients’ personal hygiene
Taking patients’ vital signs
Collecting noninvasive bodily fluid specimen samples
Checking patients’ medical charts
Reporting to their supervising nurse
Moving patients between rooms or other areas of the facility

CNA Work Environment

CNAs have the flexibility to work in a variety of facilities. Where you work determines your hours, your working environment, and even your salary; it is important to weigh all of your options before deciding which is the best fit for your schedule and working style. A few options for CNAs might be:

Hospitals – Working in a hospital can often be a more fast-paced environment where CNAs will help care for a wide range of patients in different departments. You hours can vary depending on the type of hospital and the department in which you work; but, in the same regard, this also gives CNAs the flexibility to work nights as opposed to only day shifts.
Private Practices – Working for a doctor’s office in a more private setting has its benefits. Office hours are usually set, so your schedule won’t have much variance, and your salary potential could be higher since they have the flexibility to set their own pay rate. In this type of environment, you will see fewer patients and work in a more eased setting compare to a busier hospital.
Nursing Homes – CNAs who choose to work in a nursing home setting have day-to-day responsibilities of caring for and attending to elderly patients. They can expect to help maintain the health and hygiene of their patients, ensuring that they eat properly and assist in bathing and dressing when necessary. Their duties could also include moving patients or assisting those who have trouble getting around on their own.
Government Agencies – There are a number of government agencies that employee CNAs and other medical professionals. Some of these include working for military agencies, working in veterans affairs, or working for your state or county health department. An upside to working for the government is that they often offer more competitive benefits and vacation time. A downside can be dealing with different levels of management within the system that can slow down the decision-making process.

Top Online Nurse Assistant Degree Programs

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.

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AS in Medical Assisting	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.
AS in Healthcare	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.
AAS in Medical Assisting	Bryant & Stratton College — The Bryant & Stratton College AAS in medical administrative assisting program is designed to train future medical administrative assistants that will work in a variety of health care settings including private medical practices, hospitals, clinics, public health departments, government agencies or insurance firms.
AS in Medical Assisting	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.
AS in Medical Assisting	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.