Nursing Career Ladder in the United States (Part One): Certified Nursing Assistants

This post is the first of a four-part series that will aim to elucidate the nursing career ladder in the United States. The certified nursing assistant (CNA) is the core foundation and backbone of the nursing career ladder in the United States. Without the hard work and merit-worthy contributions of CNAs, most nurses who work in direct patient care capacities would have extreme difficulty accomplishing the myriad of duties and tasks.

CNAs are vital allied healthcare workers who deliver basic nursing care to patients, residents and clients under the supervision of licensed nurses and physicians. CNAs assist patients and residents with the care tasks that the patient might be unable to do on his or her own due to weakness, debility, illness, cognitive impairment, fluctuations in mentation, or a variety of other reasons.

In essence, CNAs are supervised by licensed nurses while assisting patients with basic nursing care tasks. These basic nursing tasks include routine care duties such as getting dressed, making occupied and unoccupied beds, taking showers, helping with feedings at mealtimes, taking baths, using the toilet, performing incontinent care, taking and documenting vital signs, and observing and reporting changes in patients’ conditions.

CNAs often spend more time with the patient than any other member of the healthcare team. Their insights and observations are often utilized to formulate patients’ plans of care. In addition, CNAs report their observations and suspected changes in patients’ conditions to the nurse. Therefore, the role of a CNA is vital to the functioning of the healthcare industry in the United States.

CNAs can be found working in hospitals, home health companies, private duty cases, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, clinics, psychiatric facilities, rehabilitation centers, hospices, adult daycare settings, prison infirmaries, the military, and a number of other types of workplace settings.

CNAs, also known as nurse aides, are the premier backbones of the majority of hospitals, healthcare centers and skilled nursing facilities in the United States.  Legacy Healthcare Careers LLC provides low-cost, high-quality certified nursing assistant classes that will prepare prospective pupils for a dynamic career in allied healthcare as a Dallas/Fort Worth nurses aide in just a few weeks. Telephone (682)626-5266 or the 24-hour hotline at (682)313-6404 to enroll in CNA classes in the Mid-Cities / HEB area.

While the CNA occupies an amazingly important role in the nursing profession, many nurses aides opt to utilize the CNA career as a foundation-like springboard into other higher-paying nursing career pathways such as the licensed practical / vocational nurse (LPN / LVN), professional registered nurse (RN), and the advanced practice nurse (APN). In other words, many CNAs choose to climb up the nursing career ladder for increased pay and employment opportunities filled with more complexities.

Please stay tuned for part two of this four-part series that sheds some light on the nursing career ladder in the United States.