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CNA EmploymentFeatured Nursing School Most full-time nurse aides work about 40 hours a week, but because patients need care 24 hours a day, some nurse aides may be required to work evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. There are also a large number of nurse aides that work part time. Nurse aides spend many hours each day standing and walking and they often deal with heavy workloads. Because nursing assistants are usually required to move patients in and out of bed or help them stand or walk, nurse aides must guard against back injury. Nurse aides may also face hazards from infections and major diseases such as hepatitis for example, but following proper procedures can minimize the risk. Nursing aides in hospitals usually receive at least one week's paid vacation after the first year of service. Extra pay for late-shift work, paid holidays and sick leave, hospital and medical benefits as well as pension plans are available to many hospital and some nursing care facility employees. Many nurse aides gain satisfaction from assisting those in need but their work can be emotionally demanding. Nurse aides often have unpleasant duties such as emptying bedpans and changing soiled bed linens and the patients they care for may be uncooperative, disoriented or irritable. Psychiatric aides must also be prepared to care for patients whose illness may cause violent behavior. Home health aides may go to the same patient's home for months or even years but most aides work with a number of different patients, each job lasting a few hours, days, or weeks. Home health aides often visit many patients on the same day and generally work alone, with periodic visits by their supervisor. Home health aides are given detailed instructions explaining when to visit patients and what services to perform. Home health aides receive small pay increases with experience and added responsibility. Usually, they are paid only for the time worked in the home. Most home health aides are not paid for travel time between jobs. Home health aides are individually responsible for getting to patients' homes, and therefore may spend a good part of the working day traveling from one patient to another. Most employers hire only on-call hourly health aides and provide no benefits. Because mechanical lifting devices available in hospitals or other institutional settings are rarely available in patients' homes, home health aides are very susceptible to back injuries resulting from overexertion when they assist patients. Most home health aides are employed by home healthcare services while the rest are employed in social assistance agencies, nursing and residential care facilities or employment services. More than fifty percent of all psychiatric aides worked in hospitals, primarily in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals but some also worked in the psychiatric units of general medical and surgical hospitals. Other health aides are employed by government agencies; residential mental retardation, mental health, and substance abuse facilities, individual and family services as well as outpatient care centers. Average hourly earnings of nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants are between $10.00 and $15.00 depending on employer type and size. Featured Nursing School More information about certified nursing assistants is available through the menu at the top of this page. |
Wallace Community College Receives $1.9 Million Grant for Nursing ProgramsWallace Community College received a $1.9 million grant to improve services in its various levels of nursing programs. According to executives at Flowers Hospital and Southeast Alabama Medical Center, the College's healthcare programs produce the majority of the region's nurses and provide an avenue for existing healthcare employees to pursue advanced degrees. Read more about the Wallace Community College Grant. Nursing Schools in Texas
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