Certified Nurse Aide

Primary Purpose of this Position

The primary purpose of this position is to provide residents with routine daily nursing care and services in accordance with the resident’s assessment and care plan and as directed by supervisors. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Administrative Functions

• Record all entries on flow sheets, notes, charts, etc., in an informative and descriptive manner. 
• Report all changes in the resident’s condition to the Charge Nurse/Nurse Supervisor as soon as practical. 

Personal Nursing Care Functions

• Weigh residents in accordance with his/her plan of care. 
• Report any significant weight loss or weight gain to the Charge Nurse/Nurse Supervisor in accordance with facility policies. 
• Measure residents’ temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure, weight, intake, output and food consumption and document in the official medical record. 
• Keep residents’ water pitchers clean and filled with fresh water on each shift and within easy reach of the resident. 
• Prepare residents for meals (i.e., take to bathroom, wash hands, comb hair, raise bed, position tables, place bibs, take to/from dining room, etc.). 
• Record the resident’s food/fluid intake; report changes in the resident’s eating habits. 
• Assist residents in accordance to their needs ranging from minimal assistance to total dependent care on activities of daily living (ADLs). 
• Contribute to the development and implementation of interventions in accordance with the resident’s needs/goals for care preferences and recognize standards of practice that address the identified limitations in ability to perform ADLs.
• Monitor and evaluate the resident’s response to care plan interventions and treatments in accordance with facility policies. 
• Care for residents with mental and psychosocial disorders as well as residents with history of trauma and/or post-traumatic stress disorder and who have been identified in the facility assessment. 
• Assist in preparing the resident for exams, tests and procedures; provide support or escort residents to appointments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist in transporting residents to/from appointments, activity and social programs, etc., as necessary.
• Assist resident with bowel and bladder functions (i.e., take to bathroom, offer bedpan/urinal, portable commode, etc.). 
• Assist residents in preparing for activity and social programs (i.e., church services, parties, visitors, etc.). 
• Assist residents to walk with or without self-help devices as instructed. 
• Assist residents with bathing functions (i.e., bed bath, tub or shower bath, etc.) as directed. 
• Assist residents with daily dental and mouth care (i.e., brushing teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, special mouth care, etc.). 
• Assist residents with dressing/undressing as necessary. 
• Assist residents with personal grooming (i.e., combing, brushing, shampooing, etc.). 
• Assist non-diabetic residents with nail care including clipping, trimming, cleaning the fingers, fingernails and toenails. 
• Assist with lifting, turning, moving, positioning and transporting residents into and out of beds, chairs, bathtubs, wheelchairs, lifts, etc. 
• Assist with the application of nonsterile (moist and dry) warm/cold compresses. 
• Assist with the application of slings, elastic bandages, binders, etc. 
• Support the resident through meaningful activities that match his or her individual abilities by simplifying or segmenting tasks for residents who have trouble following complex directions based upon the comprehensive assessment.
• Change bed linens in resident rooms. 
• Check and report bowel movements and character of stools as instructed. 
• Check each resident routinely to ensure that his/her personal care needs are being met in accordance with his/her wishes. 
• Collect specimens as instructed (i.e., urine, sputum, stools, etc.). 
• Follow established infection prevention and control procedures.
• Maintain intake and output records as instructed. 
• Observe and report the presence of pressure areas and skin breakdowns to prevent pressure injuries. 
• Attend change of shift reports. 
• Perform restorative and rehabilitative procedures as instructed in accordance with the individualized plan of care. 
• Provide non-pharmacological interventions for pain in accordance with the plan of care. 
• Provide daily range of motion (ROM) exercises; record data as instructed. 
• Monitor residents for behaviors that indicate increased stress. 
• Provide eye and ear care (i.e., warm/cold compresses, eye/ear instillation, cleaning
  eyeglasses/hearing aids, etc.) as instructed. 
• Report injuries of an unknown source including skin tears. 
• Follow work assignments and/or work schedules in completing and performing assigned tasks.
• Meet with your shift’s nursing personnel on a regularly scheduled basis to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas and/or improving services.
• Perform all assigned tasks in accordance with established facility policies and procedures and as instructed by your supervisors.
• Report all complaints and grievances made by the resident.
• Report occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials and hazardous chemicals to your supervisor.

Care Plan and Assessment Functions

• Participate in the care planning process in accordance with facility policies based on resident preferences and person-centered care.
• Review care plans daily to determine if changes in the resident’s daily care routine have been made on the care plan.

Admission, Transfer and Discharge Functions

• Assist nurses with admission, transfer and discharge functions. 
• Greet residents and escort them to their room; provide new resident orientation to the unit/facility. 
• Introduce resident to his/her roommate (if any), other residents and personnel as appropriate. 
• Inventory and mark the resident’s personal possessions as instructed; update and revise the personal inventory list as appropriate. 

Staff Development Functions

• Attend and participate in facility in-service training programs as instructed including resident rights, prevention of abuse and neglect, dementia care, behavioral management and competencies for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).
• Attend and participate in scheduled orientation programs and activities.
• Attend and participate in scheduled training and educational classes to maintain current certification as a CNA. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Safety and Sanitation Functions

• Store all tools, equipment and supplies before leaving work area for breaks and at the end of the workday.
• Clean, disinfect and return all resident care equipment to its designated storage area after each use.
• Follow established infection prevention and control procedures.
• Follow established procedures in the use and disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Follow established safety precautions in the performance of all duties.
• Keep the nurses’ call system within easy reach of the resident.
• Perform routine housekeeping duties (i.e., clean bedrails, overbed table, night stand, etc., that relate to nursing care procedures).
• Report all hazardous conditions and equipment to the Charge Nurse/Nurse
• Supervisor immediately.
• Report all safety violations.
• Report any communicable or infectious disease to the Director of Nursing and/or Infection Preventionist.
• Report missing/illegible labels and safety data sheets (SDSs) to your supervisor.
• Clean and disinfect multi-resident use devices and equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.) as instructed.

Equipment and Supply Functions

• Report defective equipment to the Charge Nurse/Nurse Supervisor; utilize lockout/tagout as directed.

Working Conditions

• Works throughout the nursing services area (i.e., drug rooms, nurses’ stations, resident rooms, etc.).
• Moves intermittently during working hours.
• Is subject to frequent interruptions.
• Is involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, etc., under all conditions and circumstances.
• Is subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel and visitors.
• Communicates with nursing personnel and other department personnel.
• Works beyond normal working hours on weekends and holidays and in other positions temporarily when necessary.
• Is subject to call back during emergency conditions (e.g., severe weather, evacuation, post-disaster, etc.).
• Attends and participates in continuing education programs.
• Is subject to injury from falls, burns from equipment, odors, etc., throughout the workday as well as to reactions from dust, disinfectants, tobacco smoke and other air contaminants.
• Is subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc., including TB and the AIDS and Hepatitis B viruses.
• May be subject to the handling of and exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Education

• Must possess, as a minimum, a 10th grade education.

Experience

• Must be a licensed Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in accordance with laws of the state.

Specific Requirements

• Must be able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.
• Must demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age-related needs of the
  residents served.
• Must be a supportive team member, contribute to and be an example of team work and team concept.
• Must possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.
• Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, government
  agencies/personnel and the general public.
• Must possess the ability and willingness to work harmoniously with other personnel.
• Must have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition and enthusiasm as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents.
• Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing
  practices.
• Must be able to relate information concerning a resident’s condition.
• Must not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other individuals in the workplace.

Physical and Sensory Requirements (with or without the aid of mechanical devices)

• Must be able to move intermittently throughout the workday.
• Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.
• Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.
• Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to ensure that the requirements of this position can be fully met.
• Must function independently and have flexibility, personal integrity and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel and support agencies.
• Must meet the general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility which include a medical and physical examination.
• Must be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset and, at times, hostile people within the facility.
• Must be able to push, pull, move and/or lift a minimum of 25 pounds to a minimum height of 5 feet and be able to
  push, pull, move and/or carry such weight a minimum distance of 50 feet.
• May be necessary to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations.