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What is a Certified Nursing Assistant?

A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who works within the medical industry, usually alongside other nurses, doctors, and surgeons, and has passed certain examinations to be registered by their State Licensing Board.

A nurse assistant will most often be found in hospitals and private care facilities where the role requires more people skills than medical skills, but at the same time needing to be able to recognize danger signs with patients and be able to respond calmly to emergency situations.

In larger hospitals, certified nursing assistants will often provide comfort for distraught family and friends whilst trained medical personnel attend to a sick or injured loved one. It may seem that the role isn’t very demanding, but in fact nurse assistants are highly respected within the medical profession for their professionalism and knowledge of procedures.

Often described as the eyes and ears of registered nurses, the certified nurse assistant is expected to be more than just an onlooker, being called on to help in surgery, monitor patients, administer medications, help patients with hygiene and comfort, and much more.

The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is also known as a State Tested Nurse Aid (STNA) with the primary difference being federal versus state mandating, although all CNAs are also registered on the same register as the STNAs working in their state of residence.

Nurse assistants must meet certain quality standards of training before being registered, and requires a minimum of 75 hours study and must include 16 hours of training in a supervised clinical environment.

With an aging population, and more emphasis on the quality of life for older members of society, certified nursing assistants will be in demand in a private setting such as retirement villages, and even in the home for elderly clients who need just a little more help.

Opportunities for career advancement are good, with many employers preferring to promote from within existing staff, and nurse aids are often selected for further training and consequential increases in responsibilities.

Many registered nurses began their careers as nurse assistants, mostly because the CNA or STNA is a short course with good prospects for employment, and allows nursing students to work while at the same time studying part-time for their nursing diploma.

To begin the process of becoming a certified nursing assistant, applicants should first contact their state registration board for a list of recognized agencies that offer the CNA or STNA course. If a course isn’t available locally, applicants may be able to arrange to do part of their course online, although they’ll still need to complete the practical training under supervision.

Some nursing homes and health clinics also offer paid training on the job with the offer of a permanent contract on completion of the exam and successful registration as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

The exam is a two part exam with a written part which shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone who has read the required texts since the questions are often based on common sense. Then follows a clinical (practical) part of the test. Prior to registration, all graduating CNAs need to submit to a criminal background check and drug test to screen out undesirable people who should not work in trusted roles with ill or disabled patients. A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who works within the medical industry, usually alongside other nurses, doctors, and surgeons, and has passed certain examinations and an audit of professional experience.