| How to become a certified nursing assistant
A nursing assistant is someone who acts an assistant to senior nurses and often works under their jurisdiction.
A career as a nursing assistant is ideal for those who are seeking a path to a fully-fledged nursing career but are unsure whether to become a fully qualified nurse.
Also, it is ideal for those who are want a taste of working as a nurse but are not completely sure if they want to expend all their resources in seeking a full time nursing career.
For others, it could be due to time and financial constraints in seeking a full nursing a career just yet. To become a certified nursing assistant (CAN) is a lot less strenuous, requiring short study courses from a certified nursing school.
Role of nursing assistants
The basic skills and purpose of nursing assistants is to work as subordinates of fully qualified nurses. They will provide assistance but will come under their jurisdiction.
However, nursing assistants may also have full authority in some instances when delegated by seniors, particularly where they have sufficient skills and training to provide full care.
Where do nursing assistants work?
Nursing assistants work in various situations across different health care institutions such as hospitals, nursing care homes, as well as other types of nursing facilities.
Why choose a career as nursing assistant rather than as a full-time nurse?
- Motivation – Some people are just not likely to have the motivation to go through the rigours of becoming a full-time nurse because it involves a great deal of work and takes several years to qualify.
- Finance – The nursing courses are fairly expensive; therefore, some people may not have the financial resources to pursue a full-time nursing career.
- Others are simply not keen on taking on the responsibility and burden of a full of being a full-time nurse; they would rather work in capacity of an assistant.
Skills required by nursing assistant
The skills required by a nursing assistant are no different to a fully qualified nurse in that the same level of professional attitude and application to their practise is expected.
Of course, a nursing assistant will go through far less rigorous education/training that a fully qualified nurse would have to.
Many nursing assistants are placed under the supervision of experienced and fully qualified nurses, who act as mentors.
Qualifications needed to become a nursing assistant
- To become an accredited nursing assistant, a person needs to do a nursing course accredited by the National League for Nursing Accredited Commission.
- For many people, a nursing assistant job is a route to qualifying as a full nurse. For example, a nursing assistant, when it thought the time is right, can get the necessary training and nursing education while on service (or on the job).
- Increasingly, employers are looking for nurses that have a degree education. Although this is by no means a standard practise because nurses are still recruited based on qualifications whether or not they have a degree in nursing, but a degree is highly preferable as far as an employer is concerned.
Becoming an assistant nurse without education
It is possible to become a nursing assistant without doing an accredited nursing course, however, in this scenario, the earnings of a nursing assistant may well be below those of certified nursing assistants. What's more, the potential to get promotion to nursing positions of greater seniority will be limited.
Where to find courses for nursing assistants
You can apply for short nursing courses that are run by healthcare organizations. You can find details of these in the local press and health care magazines, journals, etc.
Many educational establishments such as colleges in major cities provide certified nursing assistant courses. These often place the nurses in nursing homes to get hands on training to gain the necessary experience to be able to work as and when they have qualified as a nursing assistant.
Online courses for assistant nurses
Currently, there aren't any online nursing assistant courses that are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accredited Commission. So, if any sites make promises of such, you can either ignore it or verify it with the National League for Nursing Accredited Commission.
Salary for nursing assistants
The salary earned by a nursing assistant will depend on many things such as where they work e.g. a hospital, a nursing home, etc. According to Salary.com, a site that researches salary information across different occupations, the starting salary for a nursing assistant is around $13.
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