Deciding to study to become a Certified Nursing Aide

As the end of the school year approaches and one's thoughts turn to what to do after graduation many questions arise.

Not the least of which is what are you going to do with your after school life. For some it is easy, they have planned to go traveling prior to going to college. Some have jobs lined up while others are at a bit of a loss.

Here is a suggestion if you have ever considered a job in the medical field. Why not join a class to become a Certified Nursing Aide (CNA). CNA Classes are freely available in every state and the need for CNAs has never been greater. The CNA is in many cases the primary care giver for all the patients without the responsibilities of a registered nurse under whose directions you will work.

Three questions always are asked at this stage and are certain be running through your mind. What must I be like, what will I do and how much will I be paid?

All of these questions are fairly easy to answer. A CNA is the primary care giver in many instances. To be an effective CNA one has got to care about people and want to ensure that you can do all you can to ease their discomfort or any suffering they may be having. Thus the first requirement of anyone is empathy. You must like people and like working with people. Must want to work in the medical field doing your best to help people. If you feel you might one day wish to become a nurse or even study medicine but are unsure this is a good way to start.

Usually CNA training at the various colleges requires financing. That being said scholarships and some programs will sponsor your fees. Otherwise student loans are available which are repayable on very easy terms. So it is essential that you be committed to the idea before you commence training.

As to what you will be doing there is an endless variety of tasks you will be expected to complete without supervision and these may vary from state to state and from job to job. A hospital in LA may have very different requirements from a nursing home in Illinois or a doctor's surgery in Houston Texas.

Amongst the many and varied tasks are checking vitals, temperature, pulse and blood pressure.
Then helping them sit up and eat or helping them get out of bed to go to the bathroom. There will also be hygiene duties and cleaning bed pans and so on and this is all part of it.

What will I earn? Well the average starting salary once certified is $19,000 pa. And this is the first salary. There are CNAs working in nursing homes earning twice that after only a few years experience. Of course the salaries may vary depending on whether you join a busy down town hospital in one of the major cities or choose to work in a more relaxed atmosphere in a country home or small town.

Whatever you choose it is up to you but the vocation of CNA will provide you with long term and secure employment over the longer term.