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Nursing Assistant

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AVG. SALARY

$30,210

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EDUCATION

Post-secondary training +

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

What They Do

Nursing Assistants Career Video

Insider Info

Nursing aides are known by various titles depending upon the settings in which they work. They might be known as health assistants or orderlies in hospitals, certified nursing aides (CNAs) in long-term care facilities, or home health aides in home care. They can also specialize in psychiatric care.

Hospitals are releasing people sooner, which means they need more nursing aides at transitional care facilities and in the patients' homes. The relatively high cost of registered nurses means more opportunities for nursing aides, even at hospitals that are reducing staff.

In home-care settings, nursing aides might make sure patients take their medications, help them bathe or even shop for groceries, prepare meals or do light housekeeping.

"Sometimes when they're ill, even if it's just a migraine, they don't even want to hear you say 'Good morning, Mrs. Smith' in a nice way. But then you have to pester them to eat or take a sponge bath," says Denise Akinsanya, a certified home health aide.

"One woman was so depressed, she didn't want to leave the house, but I convinced her to let me take her to [the] hairdresser to cheer her up."

In hospitals or nursing homes, nursing aides may also answer patients' call bells, deliver messages and take temperatures, pulses, respirations and blood pressures. They also help patients get up and move around. They might act as scrub nurses, escort patients to operating rooms, set up equipment or handle supplies.

Whatever the setting, nursing aides are the front line of care and often spend more time with patients than any other health-care provider. Therefore, they are entrusted with observing patients' physical, mental and emotional states and reporting problems to their nurse or physician supervisors.

"You know these people need to be helped," says Akinsanya. "With a good agency, they don't feel alone. When one of the nurses discusses a problem with a patient, they make them feel like they are the only patient. People need someone to listen."

Nursing aides with higher levels of training might set up oxygen therapy, clean wounds, monitor intravenous fluids and catheters, irrigate breathing or feeding tubes and help with elimination procedures. They can't administer medications, however.

They work under the supervision of a nurse or physician, but home care workers in particular have a high level of independence.

Ronald MacLeod is a registered nurse and co-owner of a home care service. "People who want to do home care want to be on their own. To see that the job is getting done, we have assessments and routine visits from one of the RNs. But the people we have employed like their independence and feel they have more value here. Someone's not looking over their shoulder all the time."

Nursing aides are an integral part of the health-care picture. Their services allow many patients to stay in familiar surroundings and avoid moving to nursing homes. Elderly people are a large segment of the clientele, but children with physical and emotional difficulties and people recovering from traumatic injuries comprise a significant portion.

The work is hard and the turnover is high. (Many leave to go on to higher levels of skilled nursing.) Stress factors seem obvious: nursing aides witness illness, depression and even death. An Association for Health and Safety in the Workplace study reported higher levels of stress, psychological distress and depression among health-care providers than among other professions.

Yet if you ask those committed to the profession about the downsides, they seem perplexed. MacLeod could only say, "Sometimes there is a lot of lifting. Aides become desensitized, usually within three years, to the other things."

Nursing aides need maturity, patience, reliability and sensitivity to the needs of patients. Good health and physical condition, efficiency, coordination and an eye for detail are important.

"Anyone who is going into this type of work should have a compassionate attitude. If you're not a people person, don't get into this," says Akinsanya.

Job hazards include potential exposure to infectious diseases and toxic chemicals, as well as back injuries. Travel fatigue can be a problem for home health workers who must drive back and forth to patients' homes.

"There are definitely more women in the profession, but certainly more males have been coming into it in the last six or seven years," says Sondra King of the Connecticut Association for Home Care Inc.

Many nursing aides start out as part-time workers. Some work full time at other occupations and use this work as a way to earn extra money and fulfill their desire to help people.

According to Tara Lepro, a RN and home health aide supervisor, people who go into the field often mention that they "want to give something back to the community."

The average workweek is 40 hours for full-timers. Home care workers in particular may work a lot of odd hours due to the needs of individual patients. Benefits for workers in hospitals and nursing facilities are good, but benefits are scarce for home care workers.

Just the Facts

Want a quick overview of what this career is about?Check out Just the Facts for simple lists of characteristics.

At a Glance

Help nurses care for patients

  • Nursing aides are the front line of care
  • They take vital signs, set up equipment and more
  • You'll need to be certified by the state

Contact

  • Email Support

  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900

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