Nursing Assistants
In the Nursing Assistants occupation, workers provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. The job can ask you to turn or reposition bedridden patients. Interest ratings put Social on top at 5.7 out of 7 and Realistic second, so the code is SRC and the day leans toward helping, teaching or caring for people. Plan on one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree; O*NET labels this medium preparation. Strength in service orientation, social perceptiveness, and active listening helps most here. Expect to answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
Main tasks
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
- Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
- Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
- Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
Skills
- Service Orientation
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on service orientation and social perceptiveness.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SRC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Certified Medication Aide (CMA)
- Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
- Certified Nurses Aide (CNA)
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA)
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.