Nursing careers
Certified nursing assistant careers
Most people hear “CNA” and picture a nursing home. That is the largest employer, but it is nowhere near the whole picture.
What the job actually involves
A certified nursing assistant supports the daily care of people who need nursing care. It is easy to underestimate. Ask experienced nurses what they learned first and many will say the same thing: nursing is not primarily about dispensing medication or following orders, it is about learning to listen to your patients.
CNA training takes that to a very practical level, and the role is often vital to everyone else’s clinical decisions. The assistant who spends the most time with a long-term care resident is usually the first to notice the shift in mood that signals a developing condition or a reaction to a medication change. Some people are observant by nature; knowing what to do with the observation is the part that gets trained.
Beyond long-term care
CNAs are commonly called on for home visits, supporting older people and people with disabilities who struggle with routine daily tasks. Without that help, many of those people would be moved into a facility or in with relatives — which is not a small thing from their point of view.
Some schools and daycares employ CNAs to handle minor health issues on site. They do not dispense medication, but they use the training to help children with health conditions and to catch problems early, from infections to outbreaks of things like ringworm.
Rehabilitation programmes are another common setting. Licensed therapists do the therapy, but CNAs often have more time with patients, which means relationships form and the assistant becomes part of the recovery itself.
A step, or a career
If you have been considering healthcare and especially nursing, the CNA credential is a fast way in. You can work in the field while studying toward an LPN or RN. Many people find it is not a stepping stone at all, but a rewarding career in its own right.
Getting the resume right
Whatever part of nursing you are in, the resume has to say more than your title. Our certified nursing resume writers do this every day — see our nursing resume service, or call 1-800-482-1303.
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