What Makes a Great CNA?

CNAs, or certified nursing assistants, are valuable healthcare workers who are in high demand. This entry-level role involves supporting other healthcare professionals by assisting with basic patient care. 

In this position, you can work in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living communities, clinics, and more settings. From helping patients with everyday tasks and hygiene to assisting with certain treatments, you get to work closely with patients during your days.

There are several key qualities and skills that will help you excel in this position, in terms of both your care duties and your patient skills. It can be helpful to learn these so you can prioritize them on your way to becoming a certified nursing assistant. 

Clinical Skills

As a CNA, you help patients with daily tasks and hygiene, as well as transport them safely from place to place. You ensure that their environment is clean and maintained, assist with meals, and monitor and observe them.

The following clinical skills are crucial for a CNA: 

• Basic procedures: You may assist with things like catheters and wound care.

• Environmental maintenance/cleanliness: Infection control is a top priority in this position, and it involves following healthcare protocols to prevent infection and contamination. Additionally, you’re in charge of maintenance tasks such as making beds, cleaning, and overseeing patient possessions.

• Nutrition support: Nutrition support consists of feeding patients who cannot feed themselves and supervising those who can; serving meals, fluids, medications, and vitamins; and keeping records of food, liquid, medication, and supplement intake. 

• Observation: You’ll keep track of any changes in a patient’s condition and report them to those who are supervising you. 

• Personal care: CNAs assist patients with showering, oral care, shaving, nail maintenance, hair care, dressing, and more. 

• Transportation: Safely transporting patients from beds to chairs, turning them, and moving them to the bathroom are common responsibilities. 

• Vital sign monitoring: Taking blood pressure, pulse, and temperature is important in this role.  

Collaboration

CNAs work alongside many other types of healthcare workers, such as LPNs, RNs, doctors, physical therapists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists. They are typically supervised by RNs or LPNs in their everyday responsibilities.

Positive teamwork and collaboration are necessary elements of being a certified nursing assistant, and this involves a willingness to listen, learn, and support those above you to the best of your ability.

The great part about this position is that you have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals at varying levels. Each person might have their own unique way of doing things, and it can be nice to learn their strategies for providing excellent care as you collaborate with them. 

Communication

As part of your collaborative efforts, you’ll want to make sure that communication is a priority. This is helpful for patients and healthcare workers alike, as excellent communication can enhance patient care and contribute to a high-quality work environment. 

Communicating clearly and quickly helps you keep those above you informed about any changes in someone’s condition. This can help them catch issues early on and address urgent problems swiftly.

Active listening is a key component as well. When someone is teaching you or instructing you, you’ll want to make sure to stay engaged and ask clarifying questions when it’s appropriate. 

Further, learning to communicate well as a team can foster a positive work environment that minimizes confusion and keeps things running smoothly for all team members. 

Compassion

Compassion is one of the most important qualities you can have as a CNA. You will encounter people who are confused, frustrated, uncomfortable, or in pain, and it’s imperative that you meet them with kindness regardless of their temperament.

Some patients might have very limited function, and it can be frustrating and discouraging to experience this and have to rely on healthcare workers for things you want to do yourself.

Others might be dealing with memory issues or confusion, and they may not behave like their normal selves. They might not fully understand what’s happening or know that you’re there to help them.

It’s also very common in healthcare settings for people to be in pain or uncomfortable at the very least, and most people simply aren’t at their best when this is the case. They may be easily agitated, angry, scared, or upset, and they might lash out because of this.

Though it’s not easy when people aren’t kind, remaining compassionate helps you to provide the best support and care possible. This takes a willingness to see things from their perspective, sympathize with them, and even forgive in some cases. 

Showing people compassion can also strengthen your bond with them. Once they see that you are on their side, it may help to establish mutual trust and respect, even if it takes time. But even if they never meet you halfway, it’s your job as a certified nursing assistant to treat every patient kindly and care for them to the best of your ability when they are at their most vulnerable. 

CNA Support

When you’re on your way to becoming the best CNA you can be, you’ll want to know about all the support that’s available to you. 

At Idaho Healthcare Institute, we’re proud partners with the College of Eastern Idaho. It’s our goal to provide students with the resources and opportunities they need on their nursing journeys, and we offer scholarship opportunities for aspiring CNA students.

If you have any questions about the resources that are available to you, connect with us today, and we’ll walk you through your options.