Being a Nursing Assistant is an exciting, challenging, and rewarding profession. Nursing Assistants are devoted to improving the quality of life for persons who are unable to care for themselves. The Nursing Assistant is trained in the important skills needed to enhance the quality of life and ensure the safety of persons in whatever Health Care situation. Each Nursing Assistant must meet Federal and State requirements. Requirements necessary are as follows:
- Nursing Assistant must be Registered with the Department of Health within 3 days of employment.
- Must have completed Nursing Assistant Training Program approved by DSHS.
- Sucessful pasted the two testing processes by OBRA testing through DSHS.
This will make you a Nursing Assistant Certified.
Where can a Nursing Assistant Certified be employed?
Nursing Assistants Certified has a variety of employment opportunities. (Listed below are a few.)
- Long Term Care Facilities
- Assisted Living Centers
- Adult Family Home
- Hospitals
- Medical Clinics
- Nursing Agencies
- Private Duty Care in the Home setting.
What does a Nursing Assistant Certified do?
A Nursing Assistant Certified is recognized as a caregiver and focused on performing the hands on personal care needed to assist a person that is unable to perform their own personal care. This means beable to care for all individuals who receive care.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following duties;
- Personal Care: bathing, showering, oral hygiene, daily shaving, hair care, fingernail and toenail care, monitoring fluid intake and output, tolieting, cleansing of perineal area for prevention of infections and cleanliness, etc.
- Assist with daily meal service and feeding.
- Provide hydration: fresh water each shift.
- Proper uses of safety equipment: Mechanical and Electrical lifts, gait belt use and good body mechanics.
- Clean and make beds.
- Proper repositioning for pressure release.
- Abide by Residents Rights.
- Must beable to take direction by a Licensed Nurse.
(These are the basic responsibilities there are many more.)
A Nursing Assistant Certified must display good work ethics. Be responsible, reliable, trustworthy, beable to work with others, good communication skills, be in good physical health and be willing and able to be on his or her feet and active during the entire work shift.
