Certified Nursing Assistant Procedures

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) perform a wide range of duties in a hospital, home health-care agency, a doctor's office or a long-term care center. Certified nursing assistants must complete training in state-approved teaching facilities and pass clinical and written exams before a license to practice is issued.

Provide for Patient Safety

• Some of the most common procedures a certified nursing assistant will perform on a daily basis is to help a patient complete daily tasks such as dressing, bathing, using the restroom, walking and sometimes even eating. CNAs use special equipment such as mechanical Hoyer Lifts or physical safety Gait belts to help patients ambulate or for transport from bed to wheelchair.

Daily Procedures

• On a daily basis, a certified nurses assistant will answer call lights in hospitals or long term care facilities to help patients perform any number of tasks. Working under the direction of nurses, the CNA may be required to clean catheters, take weight measurements and gather vital statistic information such as pulse, temperature, oxygen levels or other patient data required by their supervisors. CNAs may also be required to measure intake and output records of diet or liquids or bowel movements and urine. CNAs also make beds and provide change of positioning on a regulated basis for bedridden patients.

Emotional Support

• Above and beyond the physical requirements of the job, many certified nursing assistants also provide emotional support for their patients. Usually the person who spends the most time in hands-on care of a patient, the CNA is often the person to whom a patient most closely identifies during a care episode. The CNA is often the conduit between the patient and nurse, and can relate medication or pain complaints to the nursing staff. CNAs also offer patients valuable support in reducing a patient's fears and concerns during an episode of care. CNAs are trained to care for patients in a multitude of scenarios and care needs and provide services for patients and residents that help to reduce pressures and demands on nursing staff as well.