Policies for Nurse's Aides in the Hospital

Nurse's aides, also known as nursing assistants, work in hospitals providing patient care and assisting other nurses, therapists and doctors. Aspiring aides must successfully complete a nurse's aide training program and pass the required state-specific exams. Once hired to work at a hospital, a nurse's aide will be given a manual describing policies regarding job duties and responsibilities. Each aide is expected to follow the hospital's established policies.

Scope of Practice

• The scope of practice refers to a detailed list of treatments and care that a specific type of health care provider is allowed to perform on a patient. A nurse's aide generally provides direct patient care, including hygiene, feeding and mobility assistance. The scope-of-practice policy will outline exactly what is to be done when providing patient care. If a patient requires help bathing, the scope of practice will give written instructions, such as keeping a cast dry, as well as how and when to give a bath. A nurse's aide cannot perform any treatment or procedure outside of the scope of practice.

Caring for Patients

• Nursing assistants can take a patient's blood pressure.

  A policy written on patient care may include information and guidelines on how many patients each nurse's aide can care for at one time, as well as schedules for meal times, bathing and turning. Policies involving care might also include how much time should be allotted for specific care. For example, a patient care policy might indicate that 20 minutes should be spent bathing a bedridden patient. It may also include time periods in which certain care should be provided, such as specifying that bed baths are to be given to each patient between the hours of 7:00 and 11:30 am.

Using Equipment

• A nurse's aide must follow policies regarding equipment use. Some patients may require specific equipment, such as use of a Hoyer lift to transport a patient who is unable to stand. A policy detailing how, when and why to use equipment may be put in place at the hospital. This type of policy can help reduce conflict by stating where shared equipment is stored, how long the equipment may be used at one time and how to use each type of equipment properly. Shared equipment includes Hoyer lifts, gait belts and weight scales.

Infection Control

• Nurse's aides follow policies on how to dispose of infectious material properly.

  Infection control and prevention policies are important because they help stop the spread of infection and disease. Such policies can include a list of preferred methods for handling infectious material such as wound dressings, as well as guidelines on how to treat infections and monitor progress. Infection control policies may list isolation guidelines including what, when and why isolation is necessary, the level of isolation needed, equipment required for specific infections and how long isolation protocols will be in place. Infection policies can change as information and technology progress, so a nurse's aide may need to check the policy on a regular basis to ensure she is informed when changes occur.