The Complete Guide to Becoming A Nursing Assistant

Chapter 1: What Does a Nursing Assistant Actually Do?

Let's start with the most honest answer to the question in the title: a Nursing Assistant is the person who is in the room when the patient needs something - and more often than not, they are there for the things that are uncomfortable, messy, and undignified. You are the person who picks up the call bell that was dropped on the floor, who walks a dizzy elderly woman to the bathroom at 3:00 AM, who pulls up a patient's gown and washes what needs to be washed. If you are looking for a job where you can do good and feel like you made a difference, this is it. But it's also a job that will give you a very clear, unblinking view of the human body and what happens to it over time.

The formal title of this occupation is usually Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in most states, though you will also see the role called Nursing Aide, Patient Care Technician (PCT), or State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) in Ohio. These titles boil down to the same core job: provide basic, daily care to patients or residents who can't do it themselves. That's the whole ballgame. You are not diagnosing, you are not administering medication, and you are not making treatment plans. You are providing the baseline care that keeps a person clean, fed, safe, and as comfortable as possible while someone else - a registered nurse (RN)