The 10 Main Responsibilities of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

3 minute read

Working as a Certified Nursing Assistant can be a rewarding job. You get to help others while working inside a busy and fast-paced environment.

CNA Job Description

A certified nursing assistant takes on many basic healthcare tasks for patients. Their everyday job duties include helping patients with dressing, bathing, grooming, feeding, and exercising. They assist other nursing staff, such as LPNs and RNs, with medical tasks such as monitoring vital signs and reporting patient wellbeing.

The 10 Top Responsibilities of CNAs

CNAs take on many responsibilities as they help out a variety of patients each day. Here are some of the top responsibilities they take on.

1. Dietary Support and Care

In many healthcare facilities, CNAs deliver meals to patients. They also help to feed patients who cannot feed themselves. CNAs may also record the patient’s food intake to ensure they are receiving the right dietary care.

2. Answering Phone Calls

While the duties may differ from facility to another, some CNAs may be responsible for answering phone calls at the nurse’s station or taking care of calls from inside the patient’s room.

3. Cleaning Patient Rooms

In many nursing homes, CNAs are responsible for keeping the patient’s rooms clean and sanitary. This can include taking out the trash, sweeping, and wiping down all surfaces. They may also clean a room after a patient has left the facility and prepare it for a new patient arriving soon.

4. Help With Hygiene

CNAs help their patients maintain good hygiene. This is achieved by helping with daily bathing, grooming, brushing their teeth, combing hair, and other similar activities.

5. Provide Emotional Support

If you are a caring and compassionate individual, a CNA job could be the right choice for you. Because they work so closely with their patients each day, CNAs provide emotional support along with physical care. They often listen to what their patients have to say and advocate for them by alerting RNs or physicians about their overall wellbeing.

6. Reporting Patient Status

CNAs provide all the necessary information that doctors and RNS need to provide optimal care and support. By taking vital signs and updating charts with their everyday observations, CNAs ensure that doctors always have the latest reports on how their patients are doing.

7. Help With Equipment and Tools

CNAs are there to help whenever medical tools or equipment need to be transported from one area to another. These nursing assistants may also provide further help by wiping down equipment to ensure it is sanitary and ready for use.

8. Assist with Infection Control

Infections can spread rapidly inside a healthcare setting. Therefore, CNAs must be knowledgeable when it comes to infection control. These practices include washing their hands frequently and sanitizing patient rooms and equipment effectively.

9. Lifting Patients

Working as a CNA is a very physical job. Along with being on your feet for many hours throughout the day, you also must assist with moving patients who are bedridden to prevent the onset of sores. CNAs may also be responsible for taking patients on walks throughout the facility.

10. Administer Treatment

While CNAs are not authorized to administer medication, they can distribute other forms of treatment, such as helping with bedpans, providing therapeutic massages, and helping patients apply compression stockings, if needed.

Find CNA Jobs Near Me

If you are looking for a new job as a CNA, you have come to the right place. CynaMed has the latest healthcare job listings available in your area. Check out the website for more details on how to get started.