Are You Interested in a Career as a Nursing Assistant?

By: Abby Reid

Do you love the medical industry, helping others and working with people in need? Are you patient, outgoing, warm and friendly? Do you love meeting new people and facing everyday challenges? If so, you may want to pursue a career as a nursing assistant. Once you obtain the correct professional experience and training, you will immediately be able to begin working with doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners.

Nursing assistants are trained for the medical profession in trade, vocational or technical schools. Following a student's graduation, a nursing assistant may choose to become a certified nursing assistant, which will increase the likelihood of a higher-paying position. This involves more schooling and a professional certification.

Various regions of the United States give different titles to nursing assistants. An assistant can also be known as a nurse's aid, an orderly, a home health aide, a personal care assistant and a patient care technician. Basically, they all perform the same regular duties of dressing, meals, exercising, toiletry, administering medications, bathing, recording vital signs and other general care to provide each patient with quality attention. Patient care technicians also provide personal care and attention to elderly or handicapped people who may not be able to independently take care of themselves.

Working in the medical field can be demanding and stressful. It is not for everyone. Being a nursing assistant requires a great deal of compassion, patience and tolerance. Nursing assistants should enjoy working with a variety of people who may be injured, disabled or mentally unstable. They should enjoy providing safety and comfort, have a good sense of humor and love talking to people who may possess different ethnic or financial backgrounds. If you possess most of these characteristics, you would be an ideal nursing assistant. It can be an extremely rewarding career. Once you obtain a nursing assistant certification, you will be able to pursue a position in hospitals, adult day health centers, nursing homes, personal homes or assisted living apartments. Nursing assistants typically work under the supervision of a knowledgeable medical staff.

Nursing assistant classes are usually led by a professionally-registered nurse. The length of training can vary. Many times, schools will offer night or weekend classes for people who already possess a full-time job or have children. These classes teach the fundamentals of providing care. Nursing assistant courses include medical and surgical nursing, pharmacology, physiology, anatomy, newborn care, infection control, personal care, phlebotomy, emergency care, patient safety, First Aid and CPR. Students are also given hands-on experience that properly prepares them for a nursing career.