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Nursing is not just a lucrative career, but it’s a much-needed one – one that’s high in demand, as the world continues to evolve society-wise. However, some of the most vulnerable in society are the elderly. While some elders are able to live on their own with little to no problems, others aren’t so lucky.
In nursing care, being a Geriatric Nursing Assistant is a rewarding and fulfilling role. In this role, you can offer assistance to nursing staff, ensuring that they can give the best care to elderly patients. Here's how you can get into the role, and what will be expected of you.
What Is A Geriatric Nursing Assistant?
A Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) can specialize in working with the elderly and become known as a Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA). As a Geriatric Nursing Assistant, you'll be working with the nursing team to provide basic assistance to patients under your care. In most cases, Nursing Assistants will be working in settings like long term care and nursing homes, although you can also work in hospitals, rehab facilities, and the patients' homes.
The duties you can undertake can be any of the following:
· Helping patients dress and undress
· Helping bathe patients
· Feeding patients or giving assistance with feeding
· Monitoring temperature, pulse, and blood pressure
· Moving or repositioning bedridden patients
· Changing bed linens
· Transporting patients
· Recording care
As you can see, you'll be undertaking all the basic care a patient may need while they're with your hospital or nursing home.
A Geriatric Nursing Assistant Working With The Elderly
On a typical work day, a geriatric nursing assistant would tend to an elderly patient in many ways. Whether it’s to help the patient dress and undress, or to monitor vitals, GNAs must be there on call.
The elderly especially need the most care in nursing, since Forbes suggest research that about 7 million people ages 65 and older need assistance from others just to do daily activities. Think of yourself as a live-in or on-call companion that shares a personal relationship with the patient. So, it’s important to understand the needs of the elderly, in order to succeed in this job.
Education And Skills Needed To Become A Geriatric Nursing Assistant
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If you want to get into this field of work, you'll need to meet some requirements. Firstly, you'll need to have the right skills. As a Nursing Assistant, you need to want to work in a caregiving capacity. You'll also need to be comfortable working with older people.
As for soft skills, you need to have good communication skills, and a lot of patience in your work. Being a team player is crucial as you'll be working within a team. Plus, you'll need good interpersonal skills.
The exact education requirements you'll need will vary from state to state, so you'll want to look these up wherever you're located. Usually, you'll need at least a high school diploma or your GED equivalent. You will need to undergo training in order to become a Nursing assistant. This includes a set number of training hours, supervised clinical care, and passing a state exam.
What To Expect When Preparing To Become A Geriatric Nursing Assistant
When looking into becoming a geriatric nursing assistant, you'll need to find courses in the field to get the training and experience you need. When signing up for any course, look at the requirements they have of you.
Typically, you'll be required to attend all classes in order to obtain licensing, and undergo a criminal history check. You'll need to pass this check in order to continue further. Also, be aware that you'll incur additional fees, on top of the class fees, in order to continue. These will be for things like uniforms, and other requirements that are needed of you in your state.
You'll also want to look into shadowing a nurse's aide or similar, as this will be useful experience in the work you'll do. Your education center should be able to help you find a placement for this work. While you’re a student you can also volunteer at an assisted living center or at a community center that assists the elderly. It’s a great way to practice your soft skills and meet possible, future employers.
Jobs For Geriatric Nursing Assistants
As a Geriatric Nursing Assistant, you will find that your skills will be in demand once you're fully trained. From 2018 to 2029, demand for your work is set to grow by at least 8%. If you're looking for a role that you can be sure will offer you employment opportunities, then geriatric nursing assistance is one you'll want to look into.
In addition to nursing homes, GNAs can also care for the elderly in adult day care centers and private homes. Of the 1.4 million jobs Nursing Assistants had in 2020, 11% of those were at assisted living facilities for the elderly and 6% at home healthcare services, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Wages will vary slightly, depending on the institution you work for. In 2020, the median salary for a Geriatric Nursing Assistant was $30,000 but the top Nursing Assistants earned $44,000. This is after only a short training period to become certified. You can also use this certification as a stepping stone. You can start your Licensed Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse classes while still earning a salary as a Nursing Assistant. The top Registered Nurses make $116,000.
Similar Career Options
There are similar career options in this field, if this one isn't quite what you're looking for:
Home Health Aide: In this role, you'll be working with a patient to help maintain dependence, as well as doing light monitoring of health, such as checking a patient's pulse. Duties are somewhat similar, such as helping patients bathe or travel to and from appointments.
Licensed Practical Nurse: If you want to take your work one step further, you can become a licensed nurse. They give hands-on care to patients, handling basic care as well as medical needs.
Conclusion
As one can tell, Geriatric Nursing Assistance is a role that's only set to grow in coming years, and one that's highly accessible for those looking into medical care as a career. Now you have all the basics down, so you know what to do to get started in this career.
Guest Author Bio:
Emily Henry is a writer with UK Writings and Academic Writing Service. She focuses on career growth, and tips on how to change careers.