Today more than ever the need and demand for qualified health care providers is far surpassing the amount of available candidates. While many of the jobs that are being heavily recruited are for those persons actively seeking an open licensed nursing position, there are also many jobs available for eager and enthusiastic candidates who do not have a nursing degree. Patients need specialized medical and nursing care but they also need personal care and help and this is just the type of work that nursing assistants provide.
You can positively impact the life of someone by becoming a dedicated nursing assistant, and this is a position that does not require you to have a college degree. What the job does require is that you have a deep sensitivity and compassion for the welfare and well-being of others. For people who are ill, elderly or depressed it will be incredibly beneficial to have someone stop by and check on them. Just a few moments can mean a great deal to someone who has no one else to depend upon when they are ill. Many times in the hurried, busy world of nursing homes and hospitals there is too little time for real interaction and this is what many patients need most.
If you look at available descriptions for nursing assistant jobs, you will find that many of the duties are very repetitive in nature. A nursing assistant will assist the nurse by helping care for the patients, and this means that the assistant will often spend a lot more quality time observing and interacting with each individual patient than most nurses or doctors. At times there will be patients who require more involved care and you will have to discover how to budget your time and attentions appropriately in order to provide adequate and proper care to all of the patients that need your help.
Nursing assistants are responsible for helping patients who need to bathe, move, ambulate, and eat their meals. Some patients are unable to feed themselves or leave their bed unassisted and this is where the compassionate ministrations of a devoted and well-trained nursing assistant can be of great value. You may not even realize just how much your help really means to some of these patients. Many patients depend upon others for assistance to do just one or two of the many tasks that healthy people take for granted. It helps a person feel better when someone helps them get bathed and dressed for the day or makes sure that their hair is combed and their feet are covered and warm.
Some other tasks of nursing assistants involve basic charting of vital signs and intake and output for each shift. The more complicated and detailed charting is left to the licensed nurses, but these workers also depend upon feedback from their nursing assistants to help them monitor the patients that they have been assigned. You might be the first person to notice that a patient has a rash, fever or appears to be in pain, and by alerting other members of the health care team you have ultimately made sure that prompt care will be performed.
While nurse practitioner jobs and registered nurses jobs involve more specialized and detailed care involving patients, a good nursing assistant is the one that is checking on the patients to see that they eat. The assistants are also the ones who usually are getting patients fresh, cool water or crackers and fruit to eat. Patients who have limited mobility will be very appreciative of the kindness and the attention and their family members will notice your devoted and attentive care for their loved ones.
If you think that a nursing assistant position might be something that you would enjoy doing, you can check the online job postings at Nursing Crossing, and find all possible openings in your selected area. You can search the city in which you live or expand the possibilities to include your entire state, or even a particular region of the country. Nursing Crossing is a good resource to use that will save you time and money in your job search and you can even apply online for any job that seems especially appealing.
Most states have courses for nursing assistants to attend in order to be qualified to work in a hospital setting. You should first check with your local health care facilities to see what their requirements are. If you have to complete a course in order to be hired it will only take you a matter of weeks to do so. Many of the hospitals and nursing homes even offer their own approved courses and will enroll you free of charge. Even if you have to sign up for a private nursing assistant course, most health care facilities have some form of reimbursement that they will provide when you agree to work for them.
Many hospitals will let you transfer from the dietary or housekeeping units and sign up for nursing assistant classes that are paid for by the facility. So if you are already working in the health care environment it will be very easy for you to upgrade your position at no cost from your own pocket. Today many certified nursing assistants can make $10-$14 per hour for helping and comforting patients in a caring and professional manner.
