Responsibilities Of A CNA
Personal Hygiene: To care for personal and oral hygiene of patients – which includes brushing teeth, bathing, changing, combing hair, shaving, nail care, etc. – is the primary work of a certified medical assistant.Toilet Needs: CNA has to take care of the toilet needs of patients. Bedpan has to be given to bed-ridden patients. Emptying the catheter bags and bed pans at periodic intervals is also a part of their duty. If patients need support, it is the duty of the CNA to help the patient visit the washroom.
Housekeeping: Housekeeping is also a part of the duties of a nursing assistant. They assist in tidying up the rooms, changing bed linen, etc.
Patients’ Records: They maintain the medical record of patients such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, weight, level of pain, etc., on a daily basis. The CNA also makes notes of treatments rendered to a patient from time to time.
Monitoring the Health of Patients: Making note of any changes in the health of a patient and informing the nurses-on-duty accordingly are also included among the duties of a CNA. In some hospitals and/or nursing homes, a report about the patient’s medical condition has to be submitted by the CNAs.
Dietary Care: A CNA has to assist the patient in walking and eating. They also help to set up the meal tray as per prescription. The CNA has to feed patients with nutritional supplements as prescribed. Making a note of the food and fluid intake is also important.
Wound Care: It is the CNA who is entrusted the job of cleaning wounds and dressing up the same.
Prevent Bed Sores: CNAs are instructed to reposition and turn bed-ridden patients regularly to prevent bed sores.
Assist in Surgery: Assisting the nurses in preparing the patient for surgery is an important part of their duty.
Equipment Care: Sterilize and clean the equipment immediately after usage. The cleanliness of nursing stations is also to be maintained.
Exercising the Patients: CNAs also help the patients exercise at regular intervals, as per prescription.
Job Description Of A Nursing Aid
A nursing aid has many important duties. Nursing aids, also often referred to as personal care assistants, patient care technicians, and most commonly physical therapy assistant, are skilled and trained professionals with various responsibilities. There are diverse opportunities for employment, ranging from hospitals, to nursing homes, and even home health care. For the most part, no matter where employed, the job description of a nursing aid will remain the same.
A nursing aid often times has more one on one contact with patients and tend to know the patients better than others, such as the doctors or nursing staff, in the facility. The job duty of a nursing aid is direct, personal care of the patients and to tend to their personal needs as outlined in the job description. Duties can vary dependent upon the facility in which you are employed. A nursing aid may or may not have all of the responsibilities listed above, and yet, may have more than listed. This should be discussed and fully understood prior to accepting your position with your impending employer.
Other nursing aid job duties include answering light calls from the patients with a rapid response. Elderly or ill patients often need assistance and it would be important to be quick to answer any light call from any patient. An aid may also be responsible for shift change duties, which would require informing the oncoming shift workers of all occurrences, statistics, and activities of patients during the previous shift. If employed in a facility, aids are often assigned an area they will be responsible for, and must make sure that each patient in that area is properly cared for. Nursing aids typically report directly to registered nurses or doctors, so any issue that is not within their job duties should be reported to the immediate supervisor.
Patient Nursing Aids For Caregivers
It is always a great challenge for caregivers to deliver the care and help they want to. Physical strength of the caregiver plays a very critical role in taking care of a patient. Today, there are several equipments available to help the patient as well as the caregiver in performing a variety of tasks. Depending on the requirement you can opt for equipments which include patient lift, overbed table, pool lift, wheel chair, and more.Patient lift is extremely useful in lifting a patient from the bed. This is ideal for caregivers who find it difficult to list the patient due to physical limitations. It is also a great option for patients who do not like being man-handled because of their illness or disability.Patient lifts are typically constructed of a wheeled base, a mast, a boom, and cradle. These lifts are available in both manual as well as automatic options. Automatic lifts are either hydraulic powered or electricity powered to make the task of lifting the patient extremely easy.
Another great aid for nursing patients is overbed table. Going up to a table to perform basic tasks can be a tiring for the patients. These tables are designed to roll over the patient’s bed to help them perform basic tasks such as dining, writing, painting, etc. This option can be a great option for those who love writing or painting and are confined to bed due to any illness or mishap.Come what may, one should never stop living their lives. Patients who love water pools can continue to dental assistant their lives with the help of an aid called pool lift. Pools lifts are specially designed to be used by patients who want to get a feel of pool or want to spend some time in the pool just to relax. The construction of pool lifts is quite similar to that of a standard patient lift; however, since these lifts are designed to be used over water pools, their water resistance is much greater than their conventional counterparts.
Once you have hired a nurse for senior home care, she will give you an assessment report at the start of the assignment and depending on the findings, they will instruct things which are best for the patient and what services should be performed. The nursing process will then take off with full adherence to the Physician’s medical plan of treatment. Home nursing is therefore recommended as the nurses are committed to helping patients make good decisions about their care by providing them with reliable information about their conditions. Very often, a large number of well trained, experienced caregivers who are all English speaking are at their disposal and are available at very affordable rates.