Home health aide is someone who has successfully passed a National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP). CNAs are also listed as a part of the Nursing Aide Registry the moment they are able to pass the said examination.
CNAs perform their duties under the supervision of their superiors, generally a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practitioner Nurse (LPN). Their job title depends on the type of facility they are employed at, Nursing Assistants in hospitals, Patient Care Technicians for some and Home Health Aides in the different nursing and establishment homes for elderly patients.
Prior to being a CNA, they need to undergo a training program which will orient them about the different knowledge, abilities and skills they should possess in order for them to practice their profession. These are just basic nursing care procedures and theories they need to familiarize themselves with. Units in Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, simple skills in bedside nursing and basic computations are usually discussed during the 75 hours of training program.
As mentioned above, the program is regulated by the law where there is a need to complete 75 hours of training in the CNA facility, 16 hours of which should be spent in the clinical area supervised by a clinical instructor. These are then reflected in the documents they need to present the moment they file for registration.
After the said training, home health aide need to take a final examination which covers everything that has been discussed and explained during the entire training program. The first part of the examination is all about theories and concepts related to the profession. These are in English form and available in multiple choice questions. On the other hand, the second part tests the different skills of CNAs when it comes to bedside nursing care. They need to choose 5 out of the 25 procedures they need to perform in front of a panelist who will rate their performance.
When these are successfully passed, CNAs gain their title as well as their certification which guarantees their competency in the medical profession they are a part of. They can find employment in the different facilities which need their expertise. These can either be in hospitals, wellness clinics, hospice care centers and nursing homes.
Different opportunities are offered to those who desire to become CNAs. Because of the consistent need for health, more and more careers open up in order to cater the growing demands of the health care system.
| home health aide |
