Nursing aides (also known as nursing attendants) provide basic patient care under the supervision of a nursing and/or medical staff. They work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing care facilities, residential care facilities, and patients’ homes. Actual duties depend on their training, experience, and the type of health care facility they work in. Some of their typical duties include feeding patients who are unable to feed themselves, bathing and dressing patients, assisting patients in walking, measuring and recording vital signs, serving meals, making beds, tidying up rooms, processing patient documents, and assisting the professional staff in examining and treating patients. Aides also monitor the patient’s condition and report any change to the nursing or medical staff.
Education, Certification, Licensing
Specific qualifications for a nursing aide/attendant vary by state and work setting. Generally speaking, a high school diploma or equivalent is either necessary or highly preferred. Nursing aide training is widely available in high schools, vocational/technical schools, adult education programs, and community colleges. Some employers provide classroom instruction for newly-hired aides, although many aides are trained on the job by registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, or more experienced aides.
The Federal Government imposes guidelines and/or regulations for nursing aides who work in nursing care facilities or in patients' homes. Home nursing aides must pass a competency test covering a wide range of areas. Those who work in nursing care facilities are required to undergo a minimum number of hours of training in a program approved by the Department of Health Services and must also pass a nurse assistant certification and competency exam. Aides who meet these criteria are granted certification as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). CNA licenses are subject to renewal every two years and require a minimal amount of in-service training or continuing educational credits in order to renew.
