If you’re passionate about caring for patients and the elderly, then pursuing certification as a nursing aide is an excellent place to start. Besides acquiring the necessary training, you may have wondered what else you need to succeed as a certified nursing aide (CNA). While passion for the job is the most important quality for excelling in the field, there are multiple other skills one must possess.
Our program at NC CareGivers is designed to equip you with the holistic knowledge you need to start a fulfilling CNA career. But before you look into the registration details, you should learn the behaviors that make an outstanding CNA.
These skills will enable you to build strong relationships with your patients and their families, understand their unique needs, and address any concerns promptly, significantly impacting their lives. We’ll arm you with the expertise and know-how you’ll need to succeed in a CNA career. You should feel reassured and ready to begin your CNA adventure by the end.
Join us as we explore the essentials that make a certified nursing aide (CNA) outstanding.
Dependability and Responsibility
To succeed as a CNA, you need to be dependable and responsible. Caring for the elderly or patients requires, among other responsibilities, assisting them with activities of daily living like feeding, bathing, grooming, etc., meaning you should be highly dependable. You must show up for your shifts on time and complete the tasks reliably. In addition, you should be able to prioritize the patient’s well-being by addressing any concerns promptly.
Hone Your Communication Skills
Effective communication is essential in this field. A CNA interacts with different people–patients and their family members, nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers, etc. You should be a good listener and know how to communicate clearly to meet each of these people’s needs. For patients and their families, you should be able to converse using basic terminologies. Collaborating with health care professionals requires you to be familiar with medical languages to give accurate patient progress reports.
Be Observant and Focus on the Details
When it comes to a person’s health, even the smallest of details can mean the difference between life and death. Being the person providing direct care to a patient or an elderly individual, you must be observant and report any unusual or small changes you notice. For example, a lack of appetite, high blood pressure, change in sleep, a bruise, memory issue, etc., should be reported to the physician for further examination.
Maintain Compassion and Patience
Compassion and patience are essential skills when caring for patients or the elderly. You must be able to put yourself in their shoes and understand how they feel. As they might lack the physical strength and stamina to accomplish seemingly easy tasks, you need to be patient with them and understanding. In addition, their situation can cause them to be more irritable and suspicious of their environment, which requires you to be more patient with them, and so forth.
Develop the Practical Skills Needed to Excel as a CNA – Get Started at NC CareGivers Now
If you have been looking for tips to become a successful CNA, we hope this post has answered your questions. While many qualities make a successful health care professional, possessing qualities such as dependability, responsibility, strong communication skills, attention to detail, compassion, and patience, are particularly important for those employed in direct roles such as Certified Nursing Aides (CNAs).
Assuming you possess these qualities and are passionate about a career in health care, we encourage you to take the next step and get the necessary training. At NC CareGivers, we enable aspiring CNAs to train and find work. We offer a 100% reimbursable education opportunity for individuals desiring to pursue a career caring for North Carolina’s senior citizens. All you need to do is register for the course and apply for a job with participating skilled nursing facilities upon completion.
To learn more, click here, or go ahead and register here.
Category: Blog