Depending on the region, a nurse aide may also be referred to as a nursing assistant or a certified nursing assistant. This is a health care worker who is an important member of the nursing team and who can expect to have a lot of patient contact. Most of the time, these aides work in nursing or convalescent homes, where they can assist patients with a variety of basic care needs and communicate with nurses about any concerns they may have about a patient’s health or well-being.
A nurse aide in a long-term care facility may perform a variety of tasks on a regular basis. She or he can assist patients with toileting issues, such as changing diapers for incontinent patients or assisting patients in getting up to use the restroom. Aides may also assist in keeping patients clean, which is an important part of preventing infections. They may bathe or supervise patients who are unable to bathe or shower independently.
Nurses’ aides may assist patients with feeding and dressing. Depending on where you are, some aides can also take vital signs. These assistants may also be responsible for changing beds and moving patients in bed so that they do not develop bedsores. One thing that is frequently mentioned about this type of work is that it can be physically demanding. Moving patients sometimes necessitates lifting people who are heavy, and this must be done with caution to avoid injury to the patient or the aide.
To assist more ambulatory patients, strength may be required. A nurse aide is usually present to assist them in getting in and out of bed or walking if they are able. This helps to keep the patient safe. A good nurse aide can be a huge asset to a care facility because he or she can communicate with patients and put them at ease when they have to go through difficult procedures.
These individuals are known as nurses’ aides or nursing assistants because they assist the nursing team in a variety of ways. It may be impossible to provide physical well-being care and perform all necessary medical procedures when people require extensive care. In this regard, a nurse aide is an important member of the team because he or she allows supervising RNs or LVNs to provide more advanced medical care to those in the hospital.
There may be restrictions on who can work as a nurse aide in different states and countries. Typically, some schooling is required; some students enroll in short nurse aide training programs at trade schools or community colleges. Some states require these aides to be licensed or hold a certificate, which is usually simple to obtain after school.