Become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
What is a Certified Nursing Assistant
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are healthcare professionals who provide hands-on care to patients in medical settings under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN), or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). CNAs assist patients with bathing, dressing and any other basic activities of daily living. Depending on the patient needs, CNAs also serve meals, take vital signs, administer medication, and turn or reposition patients who are bedridden.
What are the requirements to become a Certified Nursing Assistant?
- Candidates must be at least 16 years old.
- Pass a physical (health) screening and criminal background check.
- Complete a California Department of Public Health (CDPH) training program consisting of at least 60 hours of classroom/online theory hours and 100 hours of clinical hands-on supervised training.
- Pass a state CNA certification examination
What are the job duties of Certified Nursing Assistants?
The job duties of CNAs can include some or all of the following:
- Answering patient calls
- Assist with admissions
- Assist with administering patients’ medicine
- Bathing patients
- Cleaning rooms and bed linens
- Combing hair, shaving, caring for nails and brushing teeth
- Dressing wounds
- Feeding patients, measuring and recording their food and liquid intake
- Gathering/stocking supplies for the RN or LVN
- Observing and charting patients' health issues
- Turning or repositioning bedridden patients
- Taking patients’ vital signs