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What is the typical day like for a nurse assistant?
Does the schedule differ depending on the nursing assistant?
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MARY’s Answer
A typical day for a nurse assistant involves assisting with patient care tasks like bathing, dressing, and feeding. They might take vital signs, help with transfers, and keep patient areas clean. Schedules can vary based on the healthcare facility, shift (day, night, or evening), and the specific unit they work in, but the core tasks generally remain similar.
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Emma’s Answer
A typical day for a nurse assistant, also known as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Nursing Assistant (NA), involves providing essential care to residents or patients in healthcare facilities. They start their day with a handover report, assisting individuals with activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, dressing, and grooming. Nurse assistants monitor vital signs, document observations, and may assist with medication administration or rehabilitation exercises. They ensure residents receive proper nutrition, offer emotional support, and help maintain a clean environment. A crucial aspect of their role is promoting the well-being and comfort of those in their care, working collaboratively with the healthcare team to provide comprehensive patient support.
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Marlena’s Answer
Hello Jacqueline! Yes, nursing assistants days vary depending on role and location. Bath aids usually go in early, focus on showering and bathing residents. A typical day for a nursing assistant in long term care starts with report, rounds, getting residents up, groomed, changed, ready for breakfast, vital signs, some showers/baths. Help pass trays, assist those in the dining room who need assistance, some clean up and others lay down and change those needing it, rounds, document. You continue rounds every 2 hours, get residents up for meals, assist to therapy or activities, encourage activity participation, etc. Change linens needing it or those bathed for the day, pick up trash, restock linen carts, tidy up rooms, etc. Throughout the day and before the end of shift and complete documentation. Night shifts assist laying people down, perform rounds every 2 hours, change residents as necessary, clean wheelchairs, change oxygen tubing, water, etc. They assist getting some residents up for breakfast. All shifts ensure portable oxygen tanks stay full and are working throughout the day, when getting up, ec. Spending time with residents, talking with them, getting to know them, is above all most important. The connections you make with them. The bonds, the caring nature of your work. Its all worth it! Days are busy, can get hectic, but you've gotta manage time effectively without making residents feel rushed or unimportant. Nursing assistants are vital and the hardest job but it's so rewarding and worth it when you form those relationships and bonds!
Nursing assistant
Hospital nursing assistant
Long term care nursing assistant
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Hwal’s Answer
Hi Jacqueline,
I see the other posters have offered good information on common tasks for nursing assistants. I was a certified nursing assistant before studying medicine and often see patients who are nursing assistants in my new career as a family medicine PA, and as far as I can tell there still seems to be much flexibility and variability in work schedule, as there was when I worked as one. One of the good things about this is that it gives you many options in terms of when (day, afternoon, evening, overnight) and how much (4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, etc.) you work. Many job ads tell you the schedule up front, and there may or may not be room to negotiate. I hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with. Good luck!
Hwal
I see the other posters have offered good information on common tasks for nursing assistants. I was a certified nursing assistant before studying medicine and often see patients who are nursing assistants in my new career as a family medicine PA, and as far as I can tell there still seems to be much flexibility and variability in work schedule, as there was when I worked as one. One of the good things about this is that it gives you many options in terms of when (day, afternoon, evening, overnight) and how much (4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, etc.) you work. Many job ads tell you the schedule up front, and there may or may not be room to negotiate. I hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with. Good luck!
Hwal