When it comes to jobs, few are growing faster at this time compared to a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). It is a career that promises a lot of security, good pay, and involves comparatively little required schooling. These considerations make it a great option for job changers.
Driven by those advantages, there's a chance you're wondering, "Where can I sign up?" Before you prematurely commit into something, verify that the occupation is an appropriate match to your personality, as being a Certified Nursing Assistant is very strenuous, and is a poor occupation fit for some. Simply genuinely consider the points in the next few paragraphs and you should know if you will thrive as a CNA.
Will the physical challenge be too much??
Long shifts and demanding physical labor are the norm for CNAs (formerly called orderlies). They are the people you see in hospitals pushing patients around in wheelchairs and stretchers, aiding to bathe and feed patients, changing bedsheets, and doing other similar functions. It's almost all hard work, and you have to ensure you're up for that type of challenge.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Certified Nursing Assistants have lots of direct patient interaction and have to communicate regularly with nurses and medical doctors. Should you be the type of person who likes to be left alone to do your work, you may find the work environment of a Certified Nursing Assistant to be difficult to adjust to. This can be especially true when you think about that sick patients are not always the most pleasant people to deal with, which leads to our next question.
Can you handle the abuse?
You'd better be a patient person if you're going to work in a hospital setting. Sick patients can be extremely challenging to deal with, and their family members normally present challenges as well. You're going to have to keep calm while communicating with disgruntled people - if you can't the position will drive you crazy.
Understanding patient behavior
Along with patience, empathy is an important characteristic for a Nursing Assistant to possess. If you can understand the difficulty of the situation most patients (and their families) are in, you'll be able to tolerate their sometimes near-abusive treatment of the hospital staff.
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If you're still interested in becoming a CNA after reviewing these personality qualifications, a great first step is to shadow a CNA for a day. The next logical step to make is to research the CNA certification process. After you've done that, you'll want to examine all of the educational programs available in your area and select the one that you think will best prepare you to become a CNA. Don't feel bad if you decide that you're not cut out to be a CNA. It's not the right fit for everyone, and you may be better suited to pursue a different job in the medical field. Take a look into LPN certification instead. Just try to make sure that you aren't fooling yourself about your ability to perform the job tasks -- after a few weeks on the job, your true colors will start to show. You only want to pursue a career as a CNA if you're absolutely sure you'll enjoy the work. It would be awful to go through the full CNA training and certification process only to later decide that it's not really a good fit for you.
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