CNA Courses Prepare You for Competent Nursing Cares
It is common fact that any individual willing to work in any health care center is required to complete accredited CNA Courses to gain knowledge and skills for nursing cares, appear for competency evaluation test and earn CNA Certification. Once the certification is earned, the candidate is registered with respective state nurse aide registry and gets opportunity to work in various types of health care facilities.
CNA Courses
Completion of CNA courses is the first step toward earning Certified Nurse Aide Certification. CNA courses curriculum comprises of classroom theoretical course instructions and clinical hands-on experience of what you have learned during classroom instruction.
In United States of America, it is essential that every state are required to follow OBRA-87 provisions that require minimum 75 hours training program, comprising of classroom learning and clinical training. It is the duty of each State Board of Nursing to oversee that all schools and colleges that offer CNA Courses, follows OBRA requirements and implement training standards as mandated by federal authorities. These skill standards are essential for safe, quality and competent care of patients in hospitals and long term care facilities and to safeguard public health.
But, it is also essential to not that many states have moved a step further and require above 75 hours of training, which may even reach plus 150 hours both components of training program and students are trained accordingly.
The common skills and subjects that constitute a part of the CNA Curriculum include:
- Human Anatomy – The knowledge on different body systems concerning to Skeletal system, Digestive systems, Muscular system, Lymphatic system, Endocrine system, Nervous system, Cardiovascular system and Urinary system will assist you while offering nursing care to patients.
- Basic nursing skills instruct you on the ways of counting, measuring and recording of vital signs, how to measure and record fluid intake and output, and height and weight. You will also be instructed on Therapeutic/Technical Procedures, Changing Bandages, Infection Control, cleaning wounds, Safety/Emergency and other skills. You will also have to learn about Data Collection and Reporting.
- Personal Care skills will teach you ways to meet Activities of Daily Living of the patient, such as Nutrition and Hydration, feeding, washing, Dressing, Undressing and Grooming, answering, cleaning of the rooms, changing of bed linen, making patient rest, sleep and feel comfortable, and so on.
- CPR – The knowledge about using CPR and AED can assist you in saving the life of a victim, who has sudden Cardiac Arrest.
- Infection Control– By understanding different ways of Infection Control through hand washing, covering sneezes and coughs, donning gloves, covering mouths and others can help you in preventing the spread of infection in and around health care facility.
- Mental Health care skills can help you in offering cares to patients with different types of mental disorders and problems.
- Restorative Care Skills teaches you the ways, how a patient who sits idle whole day can be made active and alert because, sitting idly for longer period of time may result in various physical ailments.
- Care of dementia or cognitively suffered patients skills will assist you in taking care of the patients, whose mental abilities are diminishing due to age and other health related factors. Such patients are vulnerable and feel insecure and it becomes your responsibility to offer them reassurance and support to remove their insecurity.
- Communication and Interpersonal skills teach you the ways to communicate effectively with disable and deaf patients. By learning these skills you can offer emotional support to patient and their family members and counsel patients for various treatments and while preparing them for Operation Theater.
Similarly, you will be instructed on Physiological skills, Safe Cares, Safety techniques, Role of Nurse Aides and various other skills and science subjects.