Just like other career fields, Certified Nursing Assistants, or CNA jobs, too, have their own set of pros and cons. The advantages of becoming a CNA, however, far outweigh the disadvantages. If you plan to enter this career field, it will be helpful to learn as much as possible about the nursing assistant position and the various options for it.
The Most Popular CNA Job Roles
• Home health aide -This is the most popular and the most well-paying role in the CNA field. The reason for this is the fact that you're basically working with people who are recovering from illnesses and with whom you have no personal connection. The only difference is you're providing services in their homes in addition to administering medication, changing bathing suits and basically providing personal care to the patients you're caring for.
• Assisted living -While home health aide jobs require you to be a CNA, there are other roles in this field as well. These include helping patients in nursing homes and other facilities. As a CNA, you would be checking up the residents of the homes with physical and mental conditions. You would also be cleaning up wastebins, feeding the patients and taking them to the laundry room.
• Hospitals -In most cases, certified nursing assistants are the ones leaving the hospitals to administer medication to patients. There are some hospitals, however, that prefer CNA's to be on the outside, helping patients in their homes. This can be a rewarding career to be in, because you, too, are caring for patients with all sorts of physical and emotional problems.
The Importance of CNA Training
According to Jonathan Ullmer CNA training is vital in enabling you to become a CNA. Without the right training, you can never become a CNA. Choosing the right place to take your CNA training can be very important, because right after completing your training, you need to be certified to be able to find a job. Some places are only willing to hire CNA's as assistants. This is a bad idea, because you're not really qualified to be an assistant and you're leaving your current employer.
Where do you want to take your CNA training? Most colleges and universities offer this type of training. There are a few that only offer basic or basic training, which is OK. Most places have a requirement for a four year degree before entering the field. whichever college/university you decide to attend, it is essential that you complete your degree prior to becoming a CNA.
How long will it take to complete CNA training?
Most CNA training programs last for about three years. But because of the demand for CNA's, many colleges have extended their training programs for additional three years, eight months.
Flexibility of coursework
While basic CNA training courses usually last for 12 weeks, most CNA training courses last for 20 weeks for those who want to become certified. This is a intensive training course, but it can be successful because of the quantity of knowledge you will gain from the courses. Becoming a CNA is taking a course that is very useful for everybody.
CNA Exams
Once you have completed your training to become a CNA, you will then have to take the National Nurse Aid Examination. This is a requirement for CNA's nationwide. The exam will test your knowledge of the skills you have gained during your CNA training. There are two parts of the exam. The first part is the written exam and the second part is the practical exam. The written test is completed by the candidate while he is given a set of 50- questions for each area of the field. The candidate attempts to answer the questions by checking the answers in the clock at the beginning of the exam.
The candidates who slip up on any question are given the opportunity to go back to the previous ones, because the test is computer-based. An error with one question can only prevent you from passing the whole examination. Answering wrong questions is obvious wrong, because you are not given the chance to go back. But, don't worry. It is not the end of the world and you can still go back and try your answer.
Online CNA tests
There are a few online nursing exams that the candidates can take to test their knowledge of the field. The nursing exams available online have more questions than the conventional ones because online readers are chosen much more frequently for each section. The online tests are also posted on the internet, which creates more anxiety among the students. The sections of the exam to be covered are automatically increased and a new section is always added because of unknown threats. The internet CNA exams are definitely difficult and candidates who have not been using their brain cells much are left behind.
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