Workplace Assessment
Ball Memorial Hospital’s rehabilitation unit will examine how various motivational strategies affect productivity in the job. The certified nurse’s aide (CNA) has many responsibilities some programs implemented in the hospital that affect the CNA are. Tuition reimbursement is one program Ball Memorial Hospital has. Another program is the quit smoking program and yet another is the weight loss program.
The nurse’s aide is the back bone of healthcare. The aide does all patient care regarding the activities of daily living (ADL’s). The slave of healthcare is the nurse’s aide. One aide is quoted saying when asked what a CNA does she stated, “I am a people janitor and I lift more weight than a professional weight lifter but I do it in less than two hours at the beginning of my shift.”
• “Dressing (according to patients' needs, ranging from minimal assistance to totally dependent)
• Bathing (bed baths, tub baths, showers)
• Feeding (serving meals, physically feeding patients who are unable to do so themselves)
• Toileting (assisting with bedpans & urinals, help to the bathroom, provide incontinent care for patients who need it)
• Vital signs (Blood pressure, pulse, etc)
• Catheter care (emptying, upkeep of Intake & Output sheets when neccessary)
• Answering call lights in a timely fashion
• Assist patients with ambulation, when needed
• Range of Motion Exercises, as prescribed by physical therapy
• Assist patients in wheelchairs (a lot of heavy lifting at times)
• Making beds and keeping the patients' rooms and belongings neat and organized
• Ensuring that bedridden patients are turned at least every two hours, to ensure comfort and to prevent bedsores
• Report all changes, physical and mental, of the patients to the nurse
• Post Mortem Care
• Safety awareness--keeping an eye on wanderers and watching for potentially dangerous situations
• Documentation--Accurate & timely daily documentation on the care provided to each patient.
• Anything else that needs to be done (Nursing Assistant Central, 2000-2008)!”
Nurse’s aides also assist the nurse with whatever the nurse thinks he or she needs.
The nature of the work is very similar for the C.N.A. and L.P.N. A C.N.A. work includes performing routine tasks under the supervision of nursing staff. They answer call bells, deliver messages, serve meals, make beds, and help patients eat, dress, and bathe. Aides also provide skin care to patients, take pulse, temperature, respiration, and blood pressure and help patients get in and out of bed and walk. They also escort patients to operating rooms, exam rooms, keep patient rooms neat, set up equipment, or store and move supplies. Aides observe patient’s physical, mental, and emotional condition and report any change to the R.N. Likewise the L.P.N. provides basic bedside care. They take vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, restorations, and pulse. They also treat bedsores, prepare and give injections and enemas, apply dressings, apply ice packs and insert catheters. L.P.N.’s observe patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments to the R.N. or the doctor. They help patients with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene, and care for their emotional needs.
“Behind every great nurse there is a running CNA.” This statement is true, however only in the long-term care setting of nursing homes. Certified Nursing Assistants/Aides can be found in different settings, as well. Such as, hospice environments, and the homes of those seeking home healthcare. In each environment, CNA’s are important to the patients receiving their care.
According to the data collected and shown in chart above for 2014 and 2015 statistics hourly wage for personal care assistants, home health aides, and certified nurse 's aides the increase in hourly wage has not raised that much. The amount provided hourly barely allowed the workers to meet the cost of living requirements set for them. A program to provide better training for home health aides to increase wages and overall care of clients in their home setting. If it could be put into place for a reimbursement or a scholarship program to create a degree that is in between an CNA and an RN that would give workers better education and qualifications to receive more pay per hour and do more in the home setting for client’s then this field could be looked at as more of a stepping stone.
Who is going to care for our aging population when they are unable to care for themselves? A Certified Nursing Assistant, also referred to as a CNA will. A CNA has many responsibilities in the healthcare field. CNAs are the primary caregivers to residents in long-term care facilities and hospitals. CNAs help residents perform activities of daily living. A few examples of activities of daily living are feeding, bathing, dressing and toileting. With all the responsibilities CNAs have, their job can be stressful. The night shift for CNAs requires getting patients ready for supper and put to bed. Some people may think this is simple, but it is not. On average a CNA is responsible for twelve residents while toileting every resident, assessing their needs, and watching for the other residents call lights, CNAs need to have every resident to supper by six o’clock. Once all residents are at the table for supper, CNAs must give each resident their trays and then feed them. Once they are done feeding the residents, CNAs start taking residents to bed. While giving bedtime care CNAs toilet the resident, wash the resident, brush their teeth, put pajamas on them, and transfer them into bed. While giving night time care CNAs need to listen for the alarms of fall risk residents, answer call lights, and be patient with the resident they are giving care to. CNAs need to give quality care
Pay special attention to the face and hands, take the time to remove crusts of secretions from the eyes, nose, and mouth. The cleansing of the body includes perineal care and removal of the IV and catheter if they are present.The resident receives a new gown and new bed linens after their bath is complete. The draw sheet placement changes, meaning it is vertical instead of horizontal, so it is easier to move the resident onto the gurney. After replacing the sheets, the step of adding dentures per families request and placing a rolled towel under the chin to support the jaw to keep it closed before rigor mortis sets in. Next, closure of the eyes to the best of the Certified Nursing Assistant's ability and then combing of any stray hairs using warm water to keep them down if needed. After preparation of the resident, the next step is positioning, adjustment of the bed includes positioning it so that it is flat with the resident's arms placed straight at his or her sides. The resident's arms should lay outside of the blanket at each side of the
Certified Nursing Assistants "perform delegated nursing task under the supervision of a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or registered nurse (RN)" (Sorrentuino & Remmert, 2012). Nursing assistants are trained and certified to "provide basic quality of life care" (Botonakis, 2012) which includes assisting patients and residents with activities of daily living(ADL) such as; feeding, grooming, hygiene, housekeeping task, toileting; transporting patients and assisting with mobility. The responsibilities of nursing assistant vary based on state regulations, employment setting and the employer's individual policy and patients' individual needs (NCDHHS, 2013).
Nelson, A., Powell-Cope, G., Palacios, P., Luther, L. S., Black, T., Hillman, T., Christiansen, B., . . . . Nathenson, P., (2007). Web. Rehabilitation Nursing. Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes in Inpatient and Rehabilitation Settings. Rehabilitation Nursing, Vol. 32, 179-200.
As the nursing career is expected to grow, several job openings are expected in the next ten years. These several job openings will increase job security. Also, their career has flexible schedules. Basically meaning a nurse “can constantly rotate what days he or she works or just set a schedule so he or she may have a four day weekend” (1 Registered). Because nurses manage patients on a daily basis treating and diagnosing, they are rewarded mentally and at times physically. “People are constantly thankful and truly realize the impact of a nurse” (1
Working in the ICU, in-patient, out-patient, schools, prisons, insurance companies, private homes, among many other settings nurses learn to balance a long list of tasks. In addition to taking care of patients, nurses have an innate ability to be kind, compassionate, work independently, and are customer service pros. Nurses are mediators, hand holders, communicators, weight lifters and order decoders. Juggling patient loads, demands of patient families, corporate bureaucracy and personal life. In other words, nurses are the rock-stars of healthcare.
A nurse is a health care professional who cares for ill or disabled individuals, their families and communities ensuring that they attain, maintain or recover optimum health and functioning (Crosta, 2013). There are several kinds of nurses classified depending on their education and experiences. As an example,
them to help their clients. Adding on when nurses are self-aware they are able to adapt to, or
obtaining pre-operative information, takes vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature) and obtains patient?s medical history. The nurse then has to prepare the equipment for procedures to be done, and may have to assist the doctor with the procedure.
A Certified Nursing Assistant’s main role is to give basic care for patients, as well as help them in their daily activities they might have trouble with on their own. These activities include bathing, dressing, and feeding patients while delivering the highest quality of care. A nursing assistant only goes to school for one to three months for training on how to give patient care
While I was still in college, I enrolled in a Certified Nurse Aide program to test my aptitude for direct patient care. The joy I felt caring for my patients as their nurse’s aide solidified my resolve that patient care was my calling. I knew I could use my education to give appropriate care to a variety of patients.
So many responsibilities are associated with that single creature running around the ward and, she is a nurse. A nurse who was previously supposed to do bed side nursing has now walked in the controlling her nearly exploding bladder. She is an advocator, a counselor, an educator and a lot more. Yes rich arena of educating patients and guiding them to the best of their knowledge to make informed decisions.