CNA Nursing Jobs: The Toughest Jobs You’ll Ever Love
CNA nursing
jobs are not difficult to find, it seems that every day more and more positions for qualified CNA’s pop
up all over the country. The difficulty is in finding the right people
to fill those jobs. Being a CNA is not for everyone, but if you can
open yourself to it, you’ll find that it is some of the most rewarding work you’ll ever
do.
What exactly is a
CNA? A Certified Nursing Assistant helps patients with the activities
of every day life which they may no longer be able to accomplish on their own. CNA nursing jobs can include everything from eating, dressing and
walking, to moving bedridden patients to avoid bedsores and helping with toilet needs. It is not glamorous work, but it is the little, every day things which can become that
much more important when someone is sick or hurting.
While requirements
vary from state to state, in order to take on most CNA nursing jobs, you must have some amount
of classroom training and pass a proficiency exam. You’ll also need to
prove that you are in good physical shape yourself, as you’ll be required to help lift patients in and out of
bed, which can demand considerable physical strength. In most cases,
though, the requirements are not difficult to fulfill.
(Note that CNAs are
in such high demand in some facilities that free CNA training is available
for aspiring nursing students.)
One of the most
vital areas in terms of CNA needs is caring for the elderly. With the
Baby Boomer generation becoming senior citizens, there are more and more older patients requiring regular care
either in hospitals or nursing facilities or in their own homes. This
can be an extremely trying time for the elderly and their families and having someone you can lean on for
medical and even personal support can make a world of difference.
Among the most
trying of CNA nursing jobs, elderly care leave you open to regular verbal and even physical
abuse from patients suffering from dementia. At the same time, though,
you often represent the closest physical connection these patients may have, which can make you a source of
comfort and support as well.
While you may not be
able to administer medications or perform other medical functions as a CNA, you are still extremely important to
the overall health care picture. Without the services provide by
talented and caring CNA’s, the healing or treatment process would be very trying on
patients. What CNA’s provide is the opportunity for patients to
retain their dignity, which is extraordinarily valuable.
Because of the
difficulty inherent in most CNA nursing jobs, it necessary that those who consider becoming
CNA’s have an exceptional amount of patience, compassion and understanding. This is not a job
for just anyone. It takes a lot of dedication and caring, but it can
also bring with it exceptional rewards.
Knowing that you
have been able to make the life of an elderly, infirm patient a little more comfortable and helped them feel a
little less alone in their final days is something which can not be easily measured. This is the ultimate reward of the CNA and it’s one you’ll be able to carry with you
long after the job is done.
For those graduating
from high school and living in Texas, please take a look at Texas Heath Resources Program for Patient Care Technicians. (opens in a new window)
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