| A Nursing Assistant may also known as a nursing | | | | Nursing assistants may also choose to work as home |
| aide, personal care worker, geriatric aide, unlicensed | | | | care aides helping the elderly, disabled, ill, and mentally |
| assistive nursing personnel, orderlies, or hospital | | | | disabled persons live in their own homes or in |
| attendants. They title often depends on the | | | | residential care facilities instead of in health facilities. |
| institutional and local governmental policies. Nursing | | | | Most personal and home care aides work with elderly |
| assistants generally perform routine tasks under the | | | | or physically or mentally disabled clients who need |
| supervision of nursing and medical staff. They will | | | | more extensive personal and home care than family |
| often answer patients' call lights, deliver messages, | | | | or friends can provide. Some aides work with families |
| serve meals, make beds, help patients to eat, dress, | | | | in which a parent is incapacitated and small children |
| and bath. They also may provide skin care to | | | | need care. Others help discharged hospital patients |
| patients, take their temperature, pulse rate, | | | | who have relatively short-term needs. Nursing |
| respiration rate, and blood pressure. | | | | assistants, home care aides and related professionals |
| Other duties of nursing assistants may include helping | | | | should have a desire to help people and not mind |
| patients get into and out of bed and walk. They also | | | | hard work. They should be responsible, |
| may escort patients to operating or examining rooms | | | | compassionate, emotionally stable, and cheerful. In |
| and help to keep the patient rooms neat and clean. A | | | | addition, aides should be tactful, honest, and discreet |
| nursing assistant may also be responsible to set up | | | | because they work in private homes. |
| medical equipment, store and move supplies. Many | | | | Job training and education for nursing assistants and |
| times a nursing assistant may be requested to | | | | aides varies greatly. Many receive on the job training |
| observe a patient's physical, mental or emotional | | | | while others may take traditional or internet based |
| condition and report any change to the nursing or | | | | classes. Certain jobs may require additional |
| medical staff. | | | | certification or licensure, so it is important that |
| The job outlook for nursing assistants and related | | | | students check with their local medical or nursing |
| careers is excellent. According to the United States | | | | regulatory agencies to assure that a particular training |
| Department of Labor the overall employment of | | | | program will meet their needs. In the United States |
| nursing assistants and related careers "... is projected | | | | many jobs require nursing assistant to take additional |
| to grow much faster than average for all occupations | | | | state approved classes and testing. |
| through the year 2014." In the United States the | | | | The nursing assistant often plays an important role in |
| median hourly earnings of nursing assistants, nursing | | | | providing basic care while ensuring the safety and |
| aides, orderlies, and attendants was $10.09 in May | | | | comfort of patients. If the idea of making a positive |
| 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.59 | | | | difference in the lives of others while enjoying above |
| and $12.09 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned | | | | average salaries, benefits and job security appeals to |
| less than $7.31, and the highest 10 percent earned | | | | you, a career as a nursing assistant or related |
| more than $14.02 an hour. | | | | healthcare profession may be worth considering. |