Skills of a CNA

The skills of a CNA refers to a set of duties and responsibilities carried out by CNAs while taking care of the patients in the hospital and helping them do their day-to-day tasks. The CNAs usually work under the supervision of a Licensed Practical Nurse or a Registered Nurse.

CNAs need to posses the necessary skills to be able to handle the patients properly and take good care of them. They also need to be familiar with the basic nursing procedures and medical duties. A Certified Nursing Assistant should be able to effectively monitor the health condition of the patients and report it accordingly to the nurse assigned.

CNAs also need to handle emergency situations in a proper manner and need to keep their cool at all times to handle stressful situations. CNAs should know how to run the Code Blue and they need to be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

Another important skill that CNAs need to possess is the ability to maintain hygiene, especially washing hands properly. CNAs need to clean their hands before and after any medical procedures, so as to avoid the spreading of germs and infections. Every time, CNAs come in contact with the patients, they need to make sure that they wash their hands.

CNAs also need to develop the skill of measuring and recording the patients' vitals such as their blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. They need to report these details to the Registered Nurse or the doctor as and when required. The CNAs should also know how to collect stool and urine samples from the patients.

CNA skills can be broadly classified into the following categories:

CNA duties as part of the health care team: 

• Understand the significance of verbal as well as non verbal communication
• Understand the rights of the patients 
• Being aware of one's responsibility towards the patient and reporting any abnormal signs to the doctor 

Personal hygiene and patient safety duties: 

• Maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the patients' rooms 
• Ensure that patients take their medicines on time as prescribed 
• Using necessary precautions as well as maintaining a proper body mechanics while handling patients 

The CNA should also be skilled enough to perform the following set of duties:

• Bathing 
• Catheter care 
• Skin care 
• Hair care 
• Mouth care 
• Nail care 
• Dressing as well as undressing 
• Shaving with the help of a razor 
• Place and remove bed pan 
• Measure the patients' height and weight 
• Bed making 
• Taking care of the patients' nutrition and diet 

A CNA has to help the patients with denture and mouth care. They need to ensure that the patients' teeth are cleaned after they have their meal. Any kind of discoloration or sore should be reported to the doctor immediately.

Cutting and trimming the nails of the patients is also important. Germs tend to accumulate when the nails are long. So, in order to avoid this, the nails need to trimmed on a regular basis.

CNAs also need to be familiar with the bathing procedures. CNAs may have to bathe the patients in the bathroom or in the bed itself and this can be quite difficult. They need to handle the patients properly while dressing and undressing them.

CNAs also need to feed the patients. Some patients need to be served food while others need to be fed with the help of a tube. The CNAs need to take the necessary precautions while feeding the patients.

Changing linens is another important skill that the CNAs should possess. In order to keep the bed wrinkle-free, and avoid bedsores, they need to keep the bed clean. Bedsores may have a negative impact on the patient's health and thus should be avoided.

Moving the patients and positioning them is also another required skill for the CNAs. A bedridden patient needs to be repositioned after every one or two hours. They also need to know how to move the patients from the wheel-chair to the bed and vice-versa. The CNAs also need to assist the patients in motion exercises.

CNAs need to develop the skills of measuring and recording the vitals of the patients such as their blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar levels and body temperature. They need to know how to use the various medical equipment and instruments. The CNAs usually record the patients' vitals when they are on their rounds and maintain the medical records to report to the doctor. While checking the blood pressure of the patients, the CNAs need to know how to use the automatic machines reading blood pressure, as well as the older and traditional instruments such as a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer.

Documentation is another important skill required for a CNAs. CNAs need to document all the details regarding the patient care that they provide. The CNAs record the patients' vitals, any interventions as well as other measurements on a chart or the medical records of the patients. They also need to document changes in the health condition of the patient and their reactions to the medicines or treatment.

In addition to all these skills, CNAs also need to provide emotional support to the patients who are suffering from diseases. They need to build a good rapport with the patients in order to make them feel comfortable. They need to possess psychological skills to help the patients cheer up and recover at a faster rate. Also, the CNAs need to be really willing and possess a strong passion to serve the patients who need love, care and support.