General Aide Careers
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What General Aides do:
General Aides provide a basic nursing service under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). General Aides are often very experienced but are still unable to perform many of the advanced duties of a Registered Nurse due to a lack of full Registered Nursing training.
Working as a General Aide gives you an excellent first hand experience of the healthcare industry. A General Aide can work in any setting where a Registered Nurse works, such as Hospitals, Nursing homes, Community Centers, Hospices, Schools, Outpatient facilities and so on.
General Aides are sometimes known as Nursing Assistants, Personal Care Assistants, Home Health Aides, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), Geriatric Aides, Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, Nurse's Aides, Hospital Attendants or Patient Care Technicians depending on where they work.
The main duties of a General Aide include:
- Observing patients
- Assisting Registered Nurses in their daily duties
- Dressing wounds
- Reporting any findings to the supervising Nurse
- Ability to administer first aid and CPR
- Bathing patents using bed baths and showers
- Feeding patients who are unable to do so
- Assisting patients with exercise
- Making beds and keeping the patients area clean and tidy
- Toileting patients who need assistance with bedpans, urinals and going to the bathroom
- Monitoring the vital signs of the patient Turning bedridden patients to prevent bedsores
- Reporting to the supervising Nurse
Education & Qualifications:
To become a General Aide, you do not need any prior medical experience. General Aides can become a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) by completing classes and practical training, provided by the hospital or community college. The CNA exam tests students on written theory along with practical duties. On successful completion of the CNA course, students must fill the required hours of experience and take the licensing examination of the state in which they wish to work.
Salary & Job Prospects:
A General Aide can earn between $9.00 and $12.00 per hour. The job prospects for General Aides are excellent. This is due to employment growth, and the need to replace workers who retire or leave the occupation each year.
Below is a list of some of the various types of allied health careers / professions: