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A Certified Nursing Assistant is a very demanding thankless job if you look at it from a registered nurse or managers position. I have been one for 25 years and I have enjoyed it tremendously from my view with the patient contact I have had! The patients and their families show their thanks tremendously for our care that we give them, but some registered nurses use us for things they don't want to do. Granted they are busy but I have watched and heard some on the telephone with their own families planning their week-end off, I've saw some take an hours lunch break, and still others hide out in bathrooms reading the tail end of their romance book!

You going into this field need to be aware that you are there for the patient and not let these other issues have any bearing on your job performance. What you do and how you handle situations is what will make you or break you in this field. You will be on call for these same nurses and its easy to get upset especially if their not pulling their own load and your getting behind in your work. But going to the nurse manager to complain will not solve the issue. The world is short on R.N."s and they are above you in ranking. In other words its easier to let you go than it is to find good nurses. So be aware of the pitfalls of this occupation.
On the other side is the patients and their families. Your care and you answering their questions will be invaluable to them. They do appreciate it so much and you could be the link in reporting any changes in their health or their demeanor. Patients talk to the c.n.a. and see them quite a bit more than they do their nurses so you need to keep a clear mind and notice anything that could be harmful to that patient. This is only a small slice of what you will face in this occupation.

Learn more about this author, Leila Swanson.
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