CNA

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nPurpose of Your Job Position\nThe primary purpose of your job position is to provide each of your assigned residents with routine daily nursing care and services in accordance with the resident's assessment and care plan, and as may be directed by your supervisors.\n\nJob Functions\nEvery effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is an essential function of the position.\n \nDuties and Responsibilities\n \nAdministrative Functions\nUse the wristband or photo card file to identify residents before administering treatments, serving meals, etc., as necessary.\nRecord all entries on flow sheets, notes, charts, etc., in an informative and descriptive manner.\nUse only authorized abbreviations established by this facility when recording information.\nReport all changes in the resident's condition to the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse as soon as practical.\nReport all accidents and incidents you observe on the shift that they occur.\n \nAdmission, Transfer, and Discharge Functions\nEnsure that the resident's room is ready for receiving the resident (i.e., bed made, name tags up, admission kit available, etc.).\nGreet residents and escort them to their room.\nIntroduce resident to his/her roommate, if any, and other residents and personnel as appropriate.\nMake resident comfortable (i.e., put to bed, get water, etc.).\nInventory and mark the resident's personal possessions as instructed.\nStore resident's clothing.\nAssist residents with packing their personal possessions when they are being transferred to a new room, or when being discharged.\nTransport residents to new rooms or to the receiving area.\nAssist with loading/unloading residents from vehicles as necessary.\n \nPersonnel Functions\nPerform all assigned tasks in accordance with our established policies and procedures, and as instructed by your supervisors.\nFollow work assignments, and/or work schedules in completing and performing your assigned tasks.\nCooperate with inter-departmental personnel, as well as other facility personnel to ensure that nursing services can be adequately maintained to meet the needs of the residents.\nCreate and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the unit and shift.\nMeet with your shift's nursing personnel, on a regularly scheduled basis, to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/or the improvement of services.\nReport all complaints and grievances made by the resident.\nNotify the facility when you will be late or absent from work.\nReport occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials, and hazardous chemicals to your supervisor.\n \nPersonal Nursing Care Functions\nParticipate in and receive the nursing report upon reporting for duty.\nFollow established policies concerning exposure to blood/body fluids.\nAssist residents with daily dental and mouth care (i.e., brushing teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, special mouth care, etc.).\nAssist residents with bath functions (i.e., bedbath, tub or shower bath, etc.) as directed.\nGive backrubs as instructed.\nAssist residents with dressing/undressing as necessary.\nAssist residents with hair care functions (i.e., combing, brushing, shampooing, etc.).\nAssist residents with nail care (i.e., clipping, trimming, and cleaning the finger/toenails). (Note: Does not include diabetic residents.)\nShave male residents.\nKeep hair on female residents clean shaven (i.e., facial hair, under arms, on legs, etc.) as instructed.\nKeep residents dry (i.e., change gown, clothing, linen, etc., when it becomes wet or soiled).\nChange bed linens. Keep linens tight to avoid wrinkles from forming under the resident.\nMake beds (occupied and unoccupied).\nPut extra covers on beds as requested.\nPosition bedfast residents in correct and comfortable position.\nAssist resident with bowel and bladder functions (i.e., take to bathroom, offer bedpan/urinal, portable commode, etc.).\nMaintain intake and output records as instructed.\nKeep incontinent residents clean and dry.\nCheck and report bowel movements and character of stools as instructed.\nPrepare and give enemas. Report results as instructed.\nCollect specimens as instructed (i.e., urine, sputum, stools, etc.).\nAssist residents in preparing for medical tests (i.e., lab work, x-ray, therapy, dental, etc.).\nAssist residents in preparing for activity and social programs (i.e., church services, parties, visitors, etc.).\nAssist in transporting residents to/from appointments, activity and social programs, etc., as necessary.\nAssist with lifting, turning, moving, positioning, and transporting residents into and out of beds, chairs, bathtubs, wheelchairs, lifts, etc.\nAssist residents to walk with or without self-help devices as instructed.\nPerform restorative and rehabilitative procedures as instructed.\nChange dressings, bandages, binders, etc., as instructed.\nProvide eye and ear care (i.e., warm/cold compresses, eye/ear instillation, cleaning eyeglasses/hearing aides, etc.) as instructed.\nAssist with the application of nonsterile (moist and dry) warm/cold compresses.\nAssist in preparing the resident for a physical examination.\nWeigh and measure residents as instructed.\nMeasure and record temperatures, pulse, and respirations (TPRs), as instructed.\nAnswer resident calls promptly.\nEnsure that residents who are unable to call for help are checked frequently.\nCheck each resident routinely to ensure that his/her personal care needs are being met in accordance with his/her wishes.\nAssist with the care of the dying resident.\nProvide post-mortem care as instructed.\n \nSpecial Nursing Care Functions\nObserve and report the presence of pressure areas and skin breakdowns to prevent decubitus ulcers (bedsores).\nReport injuries of an unknown source, including skin tears.\nProvide daily indwelling catheter care.\nProvide daily perineal care.\nPerform nonsterile (clean) vaginal irrigation/douches.\nAssist with the application of slings, elastic bandages, binders, etc.\nGive tepid sponge baths.\nProvide daily Range of Motion Exercises. Record data as instructed.\nTurn bedfast residents at least every two (2) hours.\nPerform diabetic urine testing (i.e., clinitest, acetest, etc.).\nProvide physical and respiratory therapy as instructed.\nPerform special treatments as instructed.\nObserve disoriented and comatose residents. Record and report data as instructed.\nTurn all medications found in the resident's room/possession over to the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse.\nProvide residents with Reality Orientation as instructed.\nWatch for and report any change in room temperature, ventilation, lighting, etc.\n \nFood Service Functions\nPrepare residents for meals (i.e., take to bathroom, wash hands, comb hair, raise bed, position tables, place bibs, take to/from dining room, etc.).\nServe food trays. Assist with feeding as indicated (i.e., cutting foods, feeding, assist in dining room supervision, etc.).\nAssist residents with identifying food arrangements (i.e., informing resident with sight problem of foods that are on his/her tray, where it is located, if it is hot/cold, etc.).\nRecord the resident's food/fluid intake. Report changes in the resident's eating habits.\nKeep residents' water pitchers clean and filled with fresh water (on each shift), and within easy reach of the resident.\nServe between meal and bedtime snacks.\nPerform after meal care (i.e., remove trays, clean resident's hands, face, clothing, take to bathroom, brush teeth, clean dentures, etc.).\nCheck rooms for food articles (i.e., food in proper container, unauthorized food items, etc.).\n \nStaff Development\nAttend and participate in scheduled training and educational classes to maintain current certification as a Nursing Assistant.\nAttend and participate in scheduled orientation programs and activities.\nAttend and participate in annual OSHA and CDC in-service training programs for hazard communication, TB management, and bloodborne pathogens standard.\nAttend and participate in advance directive in-service training programs as scheduled.\n \nSafety and Sanitation\nRestrain residents in chair/bed as instructed.\nCheck restrained residents at least every thirty (30) minutes.\nRelease restraints at least every two (2) hours for range of motion exercises, taking to bathroom, etc.\nMaintain a record of restrained residents, the times restraints were released, and how long the restraints were released.\nParticipate in appropriate in-service training programs prior to performing tasks that involve potential exposure to blood/body fluids.\nWash hands before and after performing any service for the resident.\nKeep the nurses' call system within easy reach of the resident.\nImmediately notify the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse of any resident leaving/missing from the facility.\nFollow established safety precautions in the performance of all duties.\nKeep residents' personal possessions off the floor and properly stored.\nKeep floors dry. Report spills immediately.\nKeep excess supplies and equipment off the floor. Store in designated areas.\nWash wheelchairs, walkers, etc., as instructed.\nClean, disinfect, and return all resident care equipment to its designated storage area after each use.\nPerform routine housekeeping duties (i.e., clean bedrails, overbed table, night stand, etc., that relate to nursing care procedures).\nResponsible for cleaning up bodily fluids, including feces, as part of daily routine care. (Communicate with housekeeping staff in a second-stage cleaning or disinfecting.)\nBefore leaving work area for breaks, or at the end of the work day, store all tools, equipment, and supplies.\nReport all hazardous conditions and equipment to the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse immediately.\nReport all safety violations.\nFollow established smoking regulations. Report all violations.\nReport any communicable or infectious disease to the Director of Nursing Services and/or to the Infection Control Coordinator.\nFollow established isolation precautions and procedures.\nWash hands before entering and after leaving an isolation room/area.\nFollow established procedures in the use and disposal of personal protective equipment.\nWear and/or use safety equipment and supplies (e.g., back brace, mechanical lifts, etc.) when lifting or moving residents.\nReport missing/illegible labels and SDS/MSDSs to your supervisor.\n \nEquipment and Supply Functions\nUse only the equipment you have been trained to used.\nOperate all equipment in a safe manner.\nUse only the equipment and supplies necessary to do the job. Do not be wasteful.\nReport defective equipment to the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse.\nInform the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse of your equipment and supply needs.\n \nCare Plan Functions\nReview care plans daily to determine if changes in the resident's daily care routine have been made on the care plan.\nInform the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse of any changes in the resident's condition so that appropriate information can be entered on the resident's care plan.\nEnsure that your notes reflect that the care plan is being followed.\n \nResident Rights\nMaintain the confidentiality of all resident care information.\nEnsure that you treat all residents fairly, and with kindness, dignity, and respect.\nEnsure that all nursing care is provided in privacy.\nKnock before entering the resident's room.\nReport all grievances and complaints made by the resident to the Nurse Supervisor/Charge Nurse.\nReport all allegations of resident abuse and/or misappropriation of resident property.\nHonor the resident's refusal of treatment request. Report such requests to your supervisor.\n \nWorking Conditions\nWorks throughout the nursing service area (i.e., drug rooms, nurses' stations, resident rooms, etc.).\nMoves intermittently during working hours.\nIs subject to frequent interruptions.\nIs involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, etc., under all conditions and circumstances.\nIs subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel, and visitors.\nCommunicates with nursing personnel and other department personnel.\nWorks beyond normal working hours, on weekends and holidays, and in other positions temporarily, when necessary.\nIs subject to call-back during emergency conditions (e.g., severe weather, evacuation, post-disaster, etc.).\nAttends and participates in continuing educational programs.\nIs subject to injury from falls, burns from equipment, odors, etc., throughout the work day, as well as to reactions from dust, disinfectants, tobacco smoke, and other air contaminants.\nIs subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc., including TB and the AIDS and Hepatitis B viruses.\nMay be subject to the handling of and exposure to hazardous chemicals.\n \nEducation\nMust possess, as a minimum, an 8th grade education.\n \nExperience\nMust be a licensed Certified Nursing Assistant in accordance with laws of this state.\n \nSpecific Requirements\nMust be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language.\nMust possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.\nMust possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, government agencies/personnel, and the general public.\nMust possess the ability and willingness to work harmoniously with other personnel.\nMust have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition, and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents.\nMust be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing practices.\nMust be able to relate information concerning a resident's condition.\nMust not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other individuals in the workplace.\n \nPhysical and Sensory Requirements (With or Without the Aid of Mechanical Devices)\nMust be able to move intermittently throughout the work day.\nMust be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.\nMust be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.\nMust 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.\nMust function independently and have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.\nMust meet the general health requirements set forth by the policies of this facility which include a medical and physical examination.\nMust be able to relate to and work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and, at times, hostile people within the facility.\nMust be able to lift up to 10 pounds. Requires lifting more weight up to 100 pounds with assistance. Occasion