MightyRecruiterCertified nursing assistants play an important role in health care facilities. These medical professionals are responsible for providing basic care to patients in a variety of medical organizations, including nursing homes, hospice facilities and hospitals.
In the skills section of your certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description, you will want to emphasize that your ideal candidate possesses basic nursing skills in addition to a friendly, caring personality. Although the responsibilities of these medical professionals vary, CNAs are often responsible for serving patient meals, helping patients with basic hygiene, taking patient vitals and recording medical information.
CNAs also interact with registered nurses, doctors, lab technicians and other professionals who contribute to providing patient care. Review the certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description below to gain insight into what you should include in your own job posting.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Job Summary
As a certified nursing assistant at a busy nursing home, you will be part of a thriving team committed to providing excellent patient care. Beyond simply interacting with patients, attending to their basic needs and acquiring accurate medical information, you will contribute to an atmosphere of positivity and teamwork on a daily basis. This is a great position for any newly qualified CNA who wants to make a difference in the daily lives of our residents while gaining valuable, applicable experience in the medical field. Proper CNA qualifications, excellent communication skills and a friendly demeanor are necessary for this position.
Job Responsibilities
- Help with the necessary activities of daily living for our patients, which may include serving meals, turning and positioning patients and providing fresh water
- Ensure patient stability by checking weight and vital signs and recording in the proper patient record folder so information can be used by other staff members
- Meet the basic personal hygiene needs of patients by giving out bedpans and assisting with travel to the restroom
- Assist with adjunct care by providing ice packs, nonsterile dressings, douches, heat treatments and therapeutic baths
- Protect and enhance the nursing home community by keeping any patient information private and confidential
- Adhere to any policies set forth by the nursing home as well as state and federal guidelines for CNAs
- Record daily actions by completing forms, logs and records, not only for patients but also for basic cleaning and education tasks
- Enhance the nursing department by participating in quarterly trainings and seeking opportunities to receive additional training and education
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Completion of an accredited CNA program
- Caring, friendly bedside manner
- Ability to work as part of a team
Preferred
- One year of CNA experience at a health care facility
- Extensive knowledge of infection control practices
- Basic computer skills
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Job Responsibilities
While the job responsibilities section is the meatiest portion of the job description, it is important not to go overboard as you are listing out the certified nursing assistant (CNA) job responsibilities. You want to make the job description palatable for an average jobseeker. You need to remember that most people only spend around 60 seconds reading a description before deciding if this job is right for them.
An easy way to write this section of your certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description is to speak with people who currently work as nursing assistants. They will be able to tell you what duties they perform on a daily or weekly basis. This allows you to focus on the most important responsibilities while ignoring the less essential duties. Using bullet points keeps your text clean and appealing while making it easy to scan.
Here are several responsibilities that generally appear on a certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description.
- Record patients’ vital signs, including pulse rate and blood pressure
- Assist patients with basic tasks, such as eating and walking
- Review any dietary restrictions patients might have and offer appropriate meals
- Reposition patients confined to their beds
- Answer patients’ questions and provide them with information related to treatments
- Clean patient and examination rooms
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Job Specifications
The certified nursing assistant (CNA) job specifications you state in the job qualifications and skills section should include the basic requirements needed to excel in this line of work. Always format this section with bullet points. If you format it as a paragraph, then it is easy for jobseekers to feel overwhelmed by all the details. There is no need to have an overabundance of information in this portion. You only need to convey the skills that are mandatory to carry out the job responsibilities properly, but you can choose to include preferred skills as well.
You do not want to write your certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description in a vacuum. It is good to create a small committee of employees who currently work as nursing assistants. They will be able to tell you what qualifications they had to get their current positions. They may even tell you what skills they wish they had before coming into this line of work.
If you require some inspiration while writing your certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description, then review the samples below.
- Completion of a nursing assistant certification program
- Certification in CPR
- Ability to explain technical information to patients
- Able to work in close proximity to others
- Conflict resolution skills
- Capable of performing repetitive movements
