Nursing Assistants are a valuable part of our medical facility staff. They offer ongoing care to patients at level most other staff don’t have the time to. They tend to basic needs of bathing, feeding, and dressing. They also provide emotional support to the patient and the family. Nursing Assistants are expected to help other medical staff at a moments notice with a variety of tasks including setting up medical equipment and getting patients ready to be taken for X-rays and surgery.
Most people entering the Nursing Assistant field don’t do it for the pay. They do it out of a desire to be of assistance to others in need as well as a desire to work in the medical field. Since medical facilities rank Nursing Assistant as an entry level position, they pay is very low compared to others, especially nurses. This can lead to some Nursing Assistants feeling angry, upset, and unappreciated.
The median expected salary for a Nursing Assistant in the United States is $24,383. On average, that is approximately $2,000 per month. That amount varies by experience and job location. As you can see, it does pay more than minimum wage and often employees in this field are able to secure health insurance and retirement plans.
However, when you compare that to the median salary of a Licensed Practical Nurse, which is $43,333, you can see a huge different. While it is understood that the Licensed Practical Nurse position holds more responsibility and well as requires more schooling and training, we can also see why some Nursing Assistants feel that they aren’t earning enough. It is also common that the better a Nursing Assistant is paid, the more pride they take in offering quality services to all patients.
Many health care facilities understand this, and work hard to keep Nursing Assistants content. They try to give raises as they can for performance as well as the length of time on the job. They understand that Nursing Assistants are vital to the overall balance of the Nursing staff. They also realize finding qualified employees is hard enough without having to continually interview and train new staff. Since Nursing Assistant jobs are plentiful, they can lose their good employees to other facilities who offer better pay.
Due to the pay difference, some individuals choose to go to school directly into a degree program and skip the Nursing Assistant certificate program all together. For those wanting to ease in the doorway of the medical profession and those who need the income while in school, the Nursing Assistant program is still very valuable to them in terms of having an income and being in a learning environment of the medical field.
The pay scale difference can often result in issues arising between Nursing Assistants and the Nursing staff. On one side, you have Nursing staff feeling that they have a degree and shouldn’t have to participate in particular tasks. Others just are overwhelmed by time restraints, and therefore keep their job segregated from that of the Nursing Assistants. On the other side you have Nursing Assistants who feel their tasks are harder and they aren’t getting paid nearly as much as the Nursing staff. This can lead to them developing feelings of resentment towards the Nursing staff. This being said, it is important for administration to help both the Nursing staff and Nursing Assistants interact and appreciate each other.
Seeing that pay difference as well as wanting to participate in more advances areas with the patients has lead many Nursing Assistants back into training to earn a degree as a Licensed Practice Nurse, a Registered Nurse, or another specified area in the medical field.
Medical facilities and the government agree that when medical staff is short, the patients are the ones who suffer the most. It is no different in the area of Nursing Assistant. If they positions aren’t filled, the patients may not get all of their needs met daily. For example, some nursing homes only bathe the patients every other day because of short staff issues.
The government is trying to find funding to help increase the rate of pay for Nursing Assistants. However, they feel that they pay isn’t the only issue. It is believed that healthcare facilities need to start showing Nursing Assistants more respect, appreciation, and recognition for their hard work. This profession has one of the highest turn over rates do to demanding work conditions, feelings of being under valued, and lower pay than most feel they are worth. The result is healthcare facility patients feeling the burden in part because of the pay scale for Nursing Assistants.
If you want to help other people then you have a great career opportunity in the medical field. It has a great demand in the career world who are willing to put forth their best efforts. A Nurse Assistant is an entry level position that will give you the chance to help others and gain experience in the medical field.
It is very exiting and rewarding job for the right person. The work is challenging and anyone may find him or herself over extended at times. This job definitely isn’t predictable, because the things in a medical setting will change all the time. There are so many variables including the patients, then number of patients, other staff, and the medical needs of the patients that you work day with never be predictable. Besides these, you may know a lot of people as well as various charactertistics.
It generally does not take very long time to become a Nurse Assistant. You will continue to learn about your role as a Nurse Assistant once you secure employment. You will be exposed to medical information and procedures by the rest of the staff. This information will be very valuable. Many people choose to use the role of Nursing Assistance as a foundation to continue their education and become a Nurse or to explore other types of employment in the medical field.
This the right place where you may know a lot of things about Nursing Assistant such as benefits, how this career will be, why you should choose it, what you need to NA, duties, training, education, college, licensing, pay-scale and many more.
It is very exiting and rewarding job for the right person. The work is challenging and anyone may find him or herself over extended at times. This job definitely isn’t predictable, because the things in a medical setting will change all the time. There are so many variables including the patients, then number of patients, other staff, and the medical needs of the patients that you work day with never be predictable. Besides these, you may know a lot of people as well as various charactertistics.
It generally does not take very long time to become a Nurse Assistant. You will continue to learn about your role as a Nurse Assistant once you secure employment. You will be exposed to medical information and procedures by the rest of the staff. This information will be very valuable. Many people choose to use the role of Nursing Assistance as a foundation to continue their education and become a Nurse or to explore other types of employment in the medical field.
This the right place where you may know a lot of things about Nursing Assistant such as benefits, how this career will be, why you should choose it, what you need to NA, duties, training, education, college, licensing, pay-scale and many more.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Why To Choose Nurse Assistant Career
With so many possible careers to choose from, why choose to become a Nurse Assistant? It is a very exciting career that offers you the chance to work with people and to work in the medical profession. You will be able to work at a variety of medical facilities all over the Nation. Nurse assistants are in high demand, so securing employment is often very easy.
Being a Nurse Assistant is a great opportunity for anyone who enjoys helping other people. There is a lot of pride in this profession, and it is understandable. After all, at the end of the day, how many of us can truly say we spent our day helping others on the road to being about to help themselves. It is a rewarding career.
A Nurse Assistant is a great bridge between the patients and the Nursing staff. In addition to taking great care in providing all patients with quality assistance with basic needs, a Nurse Assistance is able to offer patients and their families emotional support. The Nursing staff depends on the Nurse Assistants to properly report vital signs for all patients, to check on the patients regularly, assistance with setting up medical equipment, and to help move patients when necessary.
While some people view a Nurse Assistant as lower level staff, the Nurses in any medical facility appreciate and understand just how vital nursing Assistants are for them to be able to provide a high level of care. With shortages of medial staff in most all facilities, Nurse Assistants take care of many important issues that allow the Nursing staff to focus on larger issues that need to be addressed.
For those of you who do not enjoy the same routine day after day, being a Nurse Assistant offers you a job where things change daily. While the basic fundamentals of what you need to accomplish remain the same, what takes place on any given day will never be predictable.
Being a Nurse Assistant is not a position that just anyone is willing or able to do. It takes a special type of person to be able to complete their tasks with compassion, dedication, and patience on a daily basis. It also takes a passionate desire to help others. You need to have excellent communication skills. You will be required to communicate with the patients, their families, and numerous other medical staff members.
Since Nurse Assistants help patients with their basic needs including bathing, eating, and getting dressed; the patients sometimes display their feelings of resentment and anger at needing such assistance towards the Nursing Assistants. This sometimes exposes Nursing Assistants to physical and emotional abuse.
It is important that you understand this can happen, and take steps to reduce the risk and the effects of such occurrences. All medical facilities have procedures in place for dealing with such issues. It is important that you take the time to make yourself familiar with such polices and procedures.
Choosing to become a Nurse Assistant is a decision to be a dedicated and helpful member of society on a daily basis. Throughout your career in this type of position, you will touch the lives of many forever. It is your responsibility to ensure that every patient in your care feels like they were important to you and not just another face for you to see throughout your day.
Being a Nurse Assistant is a great opportunity for anyone who enjoys helping other people. There is a lot of pride in this profession, and it is understandable. After all, at the end of the day, how many of us can truly say we spent our day helping others on the road to being about to help themselves. It is a rewarding career.
A Nurse Assistant is a great bridge between the patients and the Nursing staff. In addition to taking great care in providing all patients with quality assistance with basic needs, a Nurse Assistance is able to offer patients and their families emotional support. The Nursing staff depends on the Nurse Assistants to properly report vital signs for all patients, to check on the patients regularly, assistance with setting up medical equipment, and to help move patients when necessary.
While some people view a Nurse Assistant as lower level staff, the Nurses in any medical facility appreciate and understand just how vital nursing Assistants are for them to be able to provide a high level of care. With shortages of medial staff in most all facilities, Nurse Assistants take care of many important issues that allow the Nursing staff to focus on larger issues that need to be addressed.
For those of you who do not enjoy the same routine day after day, being a Nurse Assistant offers you a job where things change daily. While the basic fundamentals of what you need to accomplish remain the same, what takes place on any given day will never be predictable.
Being a Nurse Assistant is not a position that just anyone is willing or able to do. It takes a special type of person to be able to complete their tasks with compassion, dedication, and patience on a daily basis. It also takes a passionate desire to help others. You need to have excellent communication skills. You will be required to communicate with the patients, their families, and numerous other medical staff members.
Since Nurse Assistants help patients with their basic needs including bathing, eating, and getting dressed; the patients sometimes display their feelings of resentment and anger at needing such assistance towards the Nursing Assistants. This sometimes exposes Nursing Assistants to physical and emotional abuse.
It is important that you understand this can happen, and take steps to reduce the risk and the effects of such occurrences. All medical facilities have procedures in place for dealing with such issues. It is important that you take the time to make yourself familiar with such polices and procedures.
Choosing to become a Nurse Assistant is a decision to be a dedicated and helpful member of society on a daily basis. Throughout your career in this type of position, you will touch the lives of many forever. It is your responsibility to ensure that every patient in your care feels like they were important to you and not just another face for you to see throughout your day.
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