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Essential Skills Required to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant

Certified Nursing Assistant is a promising and one of the most trusted professions. It is the profession of health care, which is engaged in the practice of caring for patients. They are the persons who work 24x 7 for changing and curing your life. The people in this profession are giving their heart and soul to their work and it is the most hospitable profession.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to become a certified nursing assistant, you may want to know the essential qualities needed for this career path. Don’t be overwhelmed if you don’t possess the characteristics just yet. AIHT’s Certified Nursing Assistant training program can help you develop all the skills and specialties you require to excel in this profession.

The Following Skills and Traits are Helpful If You Choose This Career Path:

1. Patience

Working in the medical field comes with numerous mental and physical challenges. It is very critical to carry out your duties in a calm manner. Many times the healing process can be frustrating for an individual but CNA has to be very patient in working with their patients every day on all of their tasks: eating, going to the restroom, dressing, bathing, and much more. A great way to practice patience is to roll with the punches without hesitation — look for the positive in every situation.

2. Communication

Nurses are the front lines of the healthcare profession. As a nurse, one to learn good interaction skills to effectively communicate with nurses, doctors, patients, and their family members. Effective communication with the doctor and nurses; plays a vital role in the treatment of a patient. It is important to be clear and assertive while communicating with a patient as it helps in diagnosing the condition and situation of the patient and provide better medication.

3. Empathy

Being empathetic towards patients is the most important skill of a nurse. They need to be compassionate, kind, and polite in listening and solving patient’s problems. Know that your compassion and kindness often make as much of a difference on the person as taking care of their actual physical needs. It is important to remember that empathy differs from sympathy. Sympathy is feeling bad for someone, empathy is feeling bad with someone. Empathy allows CNAs to build connections and create a safe environment for patients to heal. An effective way to show empathy is by listening carefully and remaining engaged in the conversation.

4. Detail Oriented

Every job requires high attention to detail but in a job where you are providing direct patient care, paying attention to small details can be the difference between life and death. One of the CNAs responsibility involves regularly dealing with patient forms and charts that have many pages of vital details about the patient. Everything must be charted and recorded precisely regarding every condition, drug, dose, and task done. Having the ability to catch small changes in behavior and manner can be extremely important in keeping your patients healthy.

5. Flexibility

A day of a Certified Nursing Assistant is unpredictable – one cannot expect what a day will bring in their life. They should possess the ability to handle situations calmly. One has to be flexible and be ready to embrace change in responsibilities. This quality helps CNA to complete their tasks more effectively. It is important for a nurse to adapt their busy and hectic life schedules among lots of patients.

6. Endurance

CNA is a physically challenging job and requires good body strength to excel. Taking care of yourself first will play a vital role in your ability to serve others efficiently and effectively. A lot of responsibilities required upper body strength to perform various tasks like lifting patients and moving heavy equipment. With the experience and training, the stamina increases, and one gets habituated to it. Most CNAs find that being physically fit is very helpful in doing this job week in and week out.

7. Knowledge

Nursing is a very challenging profession that requires immense knowledge, positive attitudes, and ready to deal with the most difficult situations. As a CNA, you have the added advantage of learning and adapting as you care for your patients. The knowledge that can be gained from working alongside peers and mentors is irreplaceable. Digital health care records, mobile diagnostic tools, and other types of technology are transforming how patients are cared for throughout the healthcare system. A CNA should be able to keep abreast of all of the latest technology tools that are being used in the health care workplace.

A change is constant in life and by adapting it one can bring a huge difference in their surrounding so keep the above things in mind. These skills and guidance will take one to the greater heights in the nursing profession. So, are you prepared to become a competent nurse? If yes, then register for AIHT’s CNA program and acquire knowledge, traits, and special skills of nursing and move on to face what this profession would bring to you.