Nursing Assistant

Qualifications & Competencies

- High School Diploma or GED

- Nursing Assistant Program

- Certification Exam

Responsibilities

- Assisting patients with personal hygiene, such as brushing teeth, using the bathroom, combing hair and dressing.

- Turning, repositioning and transferring patients from their beds to their wheelchairs.

- Serving meals and helping patients eat.

- Measuring vital signs like blood pressure and temperature.

- Listening to the patient's health concerns and sharing any concerns with nurses.

- Dispensing medication to the patients.

Requirements

- Strong communication skills: Throughout the day, you have to relay a lot of information to medical staff and patients. How you communicate with each person is very important. Patients will need less jargon and more explanation, whereas doctors will need concise medical summaries.

- Empathy and understanding: Patients are often nervous and scared, and so are their families. You need a caring and compassionate attitude to be successful as a nursing assistant.

- Patience and flexibility: Any number of things can happen during the shift of a nursing assistant. You have to adapt to whatever the day brings, and be prepared for quickly changing priorities. Patients are feeling their worst and could be quite irritable. Patience is key.

- Attention to detail: Patients and staff will rely on your ability to be accurate and pay attention. You’ll be recording data and working with patient charts, but you also have to pay attention to nonverbal cues by patients. Being attentive to details could save a life.

- Physical endurance: It’s no secret that being a nursing assistant requires a lot of strength. You will be on your feet most of the day and will also do a lot of bending.

- Teamwork: As a nursing assistant, you’re part of a team. You won’t make diagnoses or decisions about treatment, but you will need to follow instructions and collaborate effectively to help care for patients. This is where strong communication and listening skills come into play.