Certified Nursing Assistant

OVERVIEW:

Provide quality nursing care to residents in a long-term care environment which promotes their rights, dignity, freedom of choice, and their individuality under the supervision of a Registered Nurse.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide individualized attention which encourages each resident's ability to maintain or attain the highest practical physical, mental, and psychosocial wellbeing
• Knowledgeable of the individualized care plan for residents and provide support to the resident according to the care plan. Contribute to the care planning process by providing the charge nurse or other care planning staff with specific information and observations of the residents' needs and preferences
• Attend to the individual needs of residents which may include assistance with grooming, bathing, oral hygiene, feeding, incontinent care, toileting, colostomy care, prosthetic appliances, transferring, ambulation, range of motion, communicating, or other needs in keeping with the individuals' care requirements, and scope of practice
• Maintain the comfort, privacy, and dignity of each resident in the delivery of services to them. Interact with residents in a manner that displays warmth and promotes a caring environment
• Fully understand all aspects of residents' rights, including the right to be free of restraints and free of abuse
• Responsible for promptly reporting to the charge nurse or administrative staff incidents or evidence of resident abuse or violation of residents' rights
• Assist in maintaining a safe, neat, and clean environment; report environmental deficiencies to the charge nurse such as lighting or equipment problems
• Protect the personal belongings of each resident including eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids, furnishings, jewelry, clothing, memorabilia, etc. Promptly report missing items according to established policy and participate in efforts to locate missing items
• Observe residents for changes in condition or behavior and promptly report these changes to appropriate licensed nursing personnel
• Provide care that maintains each resident's skin integrity to prevent pressure ulcers, skin tears, and other damage by changing incontinent residents, turning, repositioning immobile residents, and applying moisturizers to fragile skin, etc.
• Answer residents' call bells promptly and courteously
• Perform various tasks assigned by the charge nurse including vital signs, residents' weights, applying creams/ointments, collecting specimens, etc.
• Assist with orienting residents and their families to the nursing home upon admission and to the unit when transfers occur
• Assist and escort residents for appointments such as beauty shop, activities, church services, etc.
• Complete certified nursing assistant records while using proper coding of activities of Daily Living (ADLs) documenting care provided or other information in keeping with department policies
• Follow prescribed safety and infection control procedures including thorough hand washing, use of disposable gloves where indicated, and proper disposal of soiled materials
• Support an atmosphere which promotes a homelike environment
• Assist in the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) process

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:

• A high school diploma or equivalent; successful completion of a state-approved Nursing Assistant Certification course or other education which meets state certification requirements
• Must hold current Nursing Assistant Certifications in the state in which they are practicing
• Must be knowledgeable of resident rights and ensures an atmosphere which allows for the privacy, dignity and well-being of all residents in a safe, secure environment.
• Current CPR (American Heart Association)

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• This job operates in a health care setting. This role requires regular walking to various locations around the care center.
• Incumbent may be exposed to virus, disease and infection from patients and specimens in working environment.
• Incumbent may be required to work extended periods of time at a video display terminal.
• Incumbent may experience traumatic situations, including psychiatric, and deceased patients.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus
• This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, crawling and climbing all day.
• The employee must frequently lift or move objects and patients weighing over 50 pounds.