Certified Nurse Assistant

As the baby boom generation ages, the elderly population of the nation is growing rapidly. Along with this growth of an aging population comes the need for a growth in medical care facilities and medical care personnel. One very valuable member of this field is the certified nurse assistant.

The job of a certified nurse assistant is to serve as a link between the patient and his or her registered or licensed practical nurse. Many certified nurse assistants are employed in assisted living or long-term care facilities. They are highly valued members of the staff who are expected to assist the patient or resident, depending upon the facility, with their routine daily activities.

Many people desire to remain home as long as possible before entering an elder care facility, even when health issues are present. In such cases, hiring a certified nurse assistant to provide home health care can allow the patient to remain home much long, even throughout his or her life in some cases.

A certified nursing assistant is well versed in the most common medical emergencies and can identify problems the patient or resident may not report in a routine examination. The assistant will work closely with the patient or resident on a regular basis and for a prolonged period of time so is likely to become very familiar with the unique characteristics of the individual. The invaluable insight gleaned from such an intimate relationship places the assistant in a position to act as the eyes and ears of the charge nurse, who likely spends only a limited time with the individual patient or resident.

Formal training to become a certified nurse assistant is established by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA 1987). This act has standardized training requirements on a federal basis so all certified nurse assistants receive the same caliber of training regardless of the location of their training and employment.

The OBRA 1987 training program requires a potential certified nurse assistant to successfully complete a minimum of 120 hours of study. This study must include at least 16 hours of supervised training in a clinical setting.