What Does a CNA Do On a Daily Basis?

What does a CNA do on a daily basis? Anyone who’s interested in becoming a CNA would be wise to learn what to expect from the job first. As you probably already know, a certified nursing assistant is someone who helps the elderly and patients going through recovery with their daily living activities, which can range from a variety of tasks. Sure, certified nurse assisting is not the most elegant job out there, there’s inevitably going to be some dirty work involved, but all of it is rewarding in its own right if you love to help people. So, on with the question, what does a CNA do?

What Does a CNA Do On a Daily Basis?

First off, duties can vary depending on where a CNA chooses to work and when. Most nurses work in 12 hour shifts–either an AM shift or a PM shift–but there are some who work 8 hour shifts, although not very many. Duties and responsibilities will vary between the AM shift and PM shift, although most tasks will be the same.

On a typical day, a CNA will start by arriving at work, which of course will either be in the morning or the evening. Once there, they will be given their assignments for the day (usually by a RN, LPN, another CNA, or from a nursing report) and a number of patients they will be working with. CNAs are also given specific information about each patient, such as medical conditions, behavior, and what to expect. Once this is taken care of, their next task is to take and record vital signs on each of the patients. This is to keep others updated on the patient’s health and to make sure that everything is going okay. They will also need to keep their patients’ charts updated throughout the day with important information such as what they ate, how much they ate, behavior, vital signs, any complaints, etc.

Next on the list, CNAs will have to assist patients with food by serving either breakfast or dinner. This typically involves getting them ready (brushing teeth, bathing, getting dressed) and moving them to the dining area, where the nurse serves them their food, including any special diets patients might have.

So what does a CNA do during this time? While they are eating, nurses will usually be tasked with cleaning their rooms. This can involve changing their bed pans, replacing linens, or collecting laundry.

Once the patients are done eating, nurses can then start collecting food trays. This is usually the time that nurses get their own lunch/dinner breaks. After that, they can then move on to the next task, which will differ depending on what shift it is. For example, if a nurse works the morning shift, they might help patients by taking them on a walk or moving their patients back to their rooms for nap-time. If a nurse works the evening shift, they would move patients back to their rooms where they can prep the patients for bed, assisting with tasks such as giving baths, brushing their teeth, or helping them to go to the restroom or use the bed pan.

CNAs are also responsible for handing out medications or providing treatments, which they do at certain times of the day. Nurses will also have to answer any requests that patients make throughout the day. If a patient calls, a CNA will have to help with tasks such as providing snacks and drink, helping patients change, feeding patients who are unable to feed themselves, taking them to the toilet, and changing adult diapers.

This is just a quick synopsis of what does a CNA do on a daily basis. Obviously, a CNA’s responsibilities will change from day to day, so it’s up to the nursing assistant to adapt to the ever changing workplace. To make one thing clear though, a CNA’s job is very hard but it is an essential part of the nursing workplace. So now you know what does a CNA do, still want to become one?

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