Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Career Guide

Certified nursing assistants offer help in nearly every aspect of patient care when working in hospitals. CNAs help to feed, clean, and move bedridden patients, respond to calls, measure blood pressure and other vital signs and monitor the food intake of each patient to ensure they receive enough nourishment.

In addition to these responsibilities, some hospitals hire CNAs strictly as unit clerks who enter data in computers, answer the phones, and receive special training to watch monitors and alert nursing staff of concerns.

As a hospital CNA, it is common to work nights, weekends, and holidays, according to the BLS Nursing Assistants Work Environment . It is recommended to be healthy and fit while working as a hospital CNA because the job will frequently require physical energy to help move patients around. It is also helpful to have strong interpersonal skills as most CNAs will build strong relationships with their patients.

Assisted living facilities house individuals who can typically take care of themselves on a day-to-day basis, but may need some assistance when grooming, dressing or in other circumstances. CNAs working in these facilities help to keep the residents’ rooms clean, monitor and record vital signs, write down resident’s activities throughout the day, and answer bed calls.

As a CNA working in an assisted living facility, you will do what you can to keep the residents safe and happy. Many CNAs in these facilities work full-time and may have weekend, night, or holiday schedules to meet the demand of the residents. It helps to be physically fit, to make it easier when helping someone from their bed to their wheelchair and vice-versa.

CNAs in nursing homes can expect to do the same duties as a nursing assistant in an assisted living facility. One small difference between the two is the varying mental states of the residents CNAs serve in a nursing home. Nursing homes typically house residents that require more attention than assisted living facilities and it is your duty as the CNA to ensure their needs are met.

While working in a nursing home, you can expect to feed residents, clean their rooms, bathe, clean, and dress the residents, monitor their health conditions, and assist in engagement activities. Work in a nursing home is just as demanding as any other facility because the residents rely heavily on nursing assistants to get through their day.

Nursing home CNAs can expect a standard work schedule with some rotating nightly, weekend, or holiday shifts to help with residents who need extra help.

Patients in the ER are critically ill and need immediate help to relieve their symptoms. This means that CNAs are expected to keep the emergency room orderly and running efficiently. CNAs that work in the ER are tasked with taking non-critical patients into rooms, taking patients to get changed, monitoring their vital signs, and recording notes about vital signs and other concerns. They may also prepare patients for X-rays or bring them a blanket to keep them warm.

Emergency room CNAs work full-time, but their schedule consists of odd hours including nights, weekends, and holidays. They may be on-call to respond to an overflow of patients at the hospital, too.