History of Certified Nursing Assistants

Certified nursing assistants provide invaluable services for the elderly in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They also work with hospice patients and persons confined to home but in need of nursing care, including helping with daily living (hygiene, mobility, nutrition). What began long ago as untrained volunteers assisting the sick or injured has grown and changed considerably. Dependable and well-trained Certified Nursing Assistants meet today's needs.

Background

• In an effort to assist overburdened nurses during World War I, the American Red Cross developed the Volunteer Nurses' Aide Service. After training, these volunteers assumed some of the more tedious and daily recurring duties of nurses. In 1987, Congress passed the Omnibus Reconciliation Act, commonly referred to as OBRA, because of lack of quality care and safety concerns in our nation's nursing homes. This act requires that Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes be staffed by well-trained personnel. Initial training, testing, and in-service requirements (ongoing training of certified persons) continue to improve the care given in these facilities.

Authority

• State governing bodies known as Boards of Nursing define and control nursing practice in each state. This includes overseeing the training and certification of nursing assistants. Since their inception more than a century ago, nursing boards continue to encourage prudent and reliable care. It is their aim to keep the public, both patients and caregivers, out of harm's way. Only those meeting specific criteria may use the designation Certified Nursing Assistant. Certification now safeguards the proper use of the designation.

Recognition

• The National Network of Career Nursing Assistants observed its 32nd Annual National Nursing Assistants Week in June of 2009, celebrating the devotion of caregivers with from five to 58 years in service to the comfort and security of others. This non-profit organization also promotes positive qualities like reliability, integrity, and teamwork. In addition, many assisted-living facilities and nursing homes developed programs over the years to recognize and reward their direct-care personnel and other employees.

Skills

• Job skills previously learned at the bedside while the new aide watched the experienced nurse now require a different process. Over the years programs evolved to meet changing needs and regulations. Classroom and clinical (hands-on) learning make up the education process for Certified Nursing Assistants. How to take vital signs--including pulse and respiration counts, blood pressure readings, accurate temperature monitoring, and cardio pulmonary resuscitation--are a few of the many skills that must be mastered.

Benefits

• Estimates of the amount of direct care given to nursing home patients, long-term care facility residents, hospice clients and others by nursing assistants ranges from 70 to 90 percent. With their continual and close relationship to patients and their families, Certified Nursing Assistants have a very real opportunity to create a positive effect on the quality of care in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Recognition of their contribution has continued to grow over the years.