Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
CNAs provide basic care and help patients with the activities of daily living. CNAs work as part of a healthcare team under the supervision of licensed practical or licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses.
The CNA program at ESCC includes four weeks of classroom study and one week of hands-on clinicals, which take place during the fifth week of the program and run from 6:30AM-3PM at Enterprise Health and Rehabilitation Clinic. Classes meet Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 4-9:15PM at Enterprise State’s main campus located at 600 Plaza Drive in Enterprise. The cost of the course is $850.
Once students complete the course, they are eligible to take the Alabama Nurse Aide competency exam.
What does a CNA do?
CNAs can help a unit run smoothly, especially for nurses with multiple medically complex patients. Common CNA responsibilities include:
- Turning or repositioning patients
- Gathering supplies for the RN or MD
- Checking and charting vital signs and weights
- Answering patient calls/bells
- Bathing, feeding, and dressing patients
- Measuring and recording patient food/liquid intake
- Preparing rooms for admissions
- Assisting with medical procedures
- Making and changing beds
- Assisting patients with elimination and recording output
- Providing grooming needs such as hair care, mouth care and shaving
- Transferring and ambulating patients
- Observing, reporting and documenting patient information
Where do CNAs work?
The most common CNA workplaces include:
- Hospitals (state and local)
- Skilled nursing facilities
- Long-term residential facilities
- Rehabilitation centers
- Adult daycare centers
- Assisted Living facilities
- Home Health and Hospice agencies
These facilities all require nursing assistants to act as a liaison between the nurse and the patient. Certified nursing assistants rarely work in outpatient, office, or clinic settings.