Life as a Certified Nursing Assistant, or CNA, is exciting and challenging. As a member of the nursing team, your roles may to be as intense or involved as a Registered Nurse or other members of the team, but that doesn’t mean your involvement is any less important. Throughout your career in this dynamic industry, you’ll be charged with a variety of tasks, as well as exposed to a myriad of unique situations.
In order to truly maximize your efficiency and productivity within this medical environment, it’s imperative that you not only focus on learning as much as possible, but maintain an eagerness to adapt to your constantly shifting surroundings.
The following tips and advice is derived from veteran Certified Nursing Assistants. Each piece of information is geared toward boosting not only your efficiency in the workplace, but also your safety and ability to grow. Regardless of your ultimate career goals, these fundamental tips can help cultivate you into a viable and essential member of the nursing team.
Top Certified Nursing Assistant Advice
Throughout your day, you’ll have the unique reward of working closely with the daily lives of patients. Unlike other members of the medical staff, your interaction has little to do with administering medication or performing procedures. Rather, you’re charged with the challenge of ensuring the personal lives and emotional states of patients remain as positive as possible. In fact, Certified Nursing Assistants are typically the first to notice changes in patient physical or mental health. Therefore, it’s imperative that you constantly work on improving your patient care techniques and tactics.
Some of the most effective tips include:
- Learn patient habits and customize your daily task list based upon what works best for them.
- Always ask a patient when would work best for them. While this may not always be possible, this simple question can boost morale and demonstrate your willingness to be a kind assistant, rather than a demanding member of the medical staff.
- For dementia patients, have their family member tell you a memory or personal bit of information that you can discuss with the patient to help calm their confusion and restore comfort.
Other Helpful Tips for CNAs
As a Certified Nursing Assistant, you’ll always feel there’s more tasks to do than hours in the day. It’s no secret that time management is the cornerstone of becoming a successful and respected CNA. If you wish to continue your upward movement within this career, then you should never stop refining and improving your time management skills. Here are a few tips to help you along this journey:
- At the beginning of your shift, make a list of all supplies you’ll need throughout the day. Then, go to the supply room and retrieve all items on your list. This prevents unnecessary trips back-and-forth to grab only a select few items.
- Always keep extra supplies in your fanny pack, such as gloves and pens.
- Focus on refining your organization techniques. Make a list of daily tasks and prioritize them. There shouldn’t be a moment in your day where you aren’t sure what to do next.
