3 Questions to Ask Yourself before Enrolling as a Certified Nursing Assistant

If you are considering the prospect of becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant, it might be wise if you could think about the qualities you possess before taking a certification course. If you are a person who likes a lot of publicity, your own office and a staff that will do various tasks for you, better find another job. If you have the wrong personality, being a Certified Nursing Assistant can be very tough for you. Although it will allow you to earn money fast because of the short duration of the course, it also involves a lot of sacrifice which might be a bigger price to pay in the long run.

An Overview of the Job

As a nursing assistant, you will be working in a medical setting. You will be supervised by Registered Nurses or RN’s and you will provide patient care directly to patients in hospitals, medical centers and private nursing homes. There are different licensure requirements for each jurisdiction but it usually requires the completion of a 6 to 12 qualification course followed by a professional board examination. The qualities that will be required by the job are comparable to those needed in all medical careers.

In assessing your compatibility with the profession, you can ask yourself the following questions. These will help you gauge your personality and abilities, which will determine whether you will be successful as a Certified Nursing Assistant or not.

Am I Trustworthy Enough?

Whether you will be working for a private individual, a hospital or an office, it is very important that your employer can trust you. This is because as a CNA, you will be accessing personal health records as well as identifying data of patients. If you are going to work for a private citizen, you may also assist your patient in various personal chores like banking. But the most important is the confidence that your patient may put on you. Since you will be working with your patient closely most of the day, you will often be confided with his or her most private medical and personal issues. As a CNA, you should understand the importance of maintaining your patient’s confidence for both legal and ethical reasons.

Am I Compassionate Enough and Have the Emotional Stability to Cope With the Job?

As a CNA, you will be working in an environment where people are at their most vulnerable. Sick or injured patients can be bad-tempered, edgy, depressed or nervous. You will be exposed to serious injuries or even death, but it will be your duty to offer comfort and maintain your cool even in the most demanding situation. If you are prone to panic, you should not be a CNA. There are also a lot of unpleasant tasks that will be required from you like dressing wounds and changing bedpans. To be able to become effective as a nursing assistant, you should always show compassion and put your patient at ease when they are in pain, physically and emotionally.

Do I have the Flexibility to Handle the Job of a Nursing Assistant?

Being a Certified Nursing Assistant entails a wide range of duties and responsibilities. You should be able to work without supervision when needed and handle any task that comes along. In most working environment, you will be seeing different patients each day. Because each personality is unique, each day as a nursing assistant would be unique as well. The exact duties that you will be handling as a Certified Nursing Assistant will depend on your workplace but generally, it includes the taking of vital signs, washing, grooming, monitoring of the condition of your patient, transporting medical equipment and of course patients, and changing linens. You will be working on rotating and long shifts and on odd hours of the day.

If your answers to such questions are more on the positive side, then you might have what it takes to become an effective Certified Nursing Assistant. If they discourage you even now, you should find yourself another vocation.