Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Position Title: Certified Nursing Assistant
Department: Nursing
Reports To: Charge Nurse / Nurse Supervisor
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Schedule: As Assigned
Position Summary
The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is responsible for providing residents with routine daily nursing care and services in accordance with each resident’s assessment, care plan, and facility policies. CNAs support residents with activities of daily living (ADLs), assist clinical staff, and help ensure a safe, comfortable, and person-centered care environment.
Essential Duties amp; Responsibilities
Administrative Responsibilities
- Document care on flow sheets, charts, and notes in an accurate, descriptive manner.
- Report changes in residents’ conditions to the Charge Nurse promptly.
Resident Care Responsibilities
Personal Nursing Care
- Weigh residents in accordance with their plan and report significant changes.
- Measure and record vital signs, intake/output, and food consumption.
- Maintain clean, filled water pitchers each shift and ensure easy accessibility for residents.
- Assist residents with meals, including preparation and transport.
- Document and report eating pattern changes.
- Provide ADL assistance based on resident needs (minimal assistance to total care).
- Support residents with mental or psychosocial conditions and trauma history.
- Assist with exams, tests, procedures, and appointments.
- Assist with transporting residents to activities and programs.
- Assist with bowel and bladder care.
- Assist with social and activity preparation.
- Assist residents with ambulation, bathing, oral hygiene, dressing, grooming, and nail care (non-diabetic).
- Lift, transfer, move, position, and transport residents safely.
- Apply warm/cold compresses, slings, bandages, and other non-sterile treatments.
- Participate in meaningful activities appropriate to residents’ abilities.
- Change bed linens and maintain resident rooms.
- Monitor and report bowel movements and any abnormalities.
- Check on residents routinely to ensure personal care needs are met.
- Collect specimens as instructed.
- Follow all infection prevention and control procedures.
- Maintain intake and output records.
- Observe and report pressure areas and skin breakdown.
- Attend change-of-shift reports.
- Perform restorative and rehabilitative procedures per care plan.
- Provide non-pharmacological pain interventions.
- Perform range of motion (ROM) exercises and document results.
- Monitor for behavioral signs of emotional stress.
- Provide eye and ear care as instructed.
- Report injuries of unknown origin.
- Follow work assignments and schedules.
Care Planning Responsibilities
- Participate in resident-centered care planning.
- Review care plans daily for updates to resident routines.
Admission, Transfer, and Discharge
- Assist with resident admissions, transfers, and discharges.
- Greet and escort new residents; orient them to the facility.
- Introduce new residents to roommates, other residents, and staff.
- Inventory and label personal belongings; maintain inventory records.
Staff Development
- Attend required in-service training, including resident rights, abuse prevention, dementia care, behavioral management, and CNA competencies.
- Participate in orientation and continuing education to maintain certification.
Safety and Sanitation
- Store equipment and supplies properly after use.
- Clean, disinfect, and return resident care equipment to designated areas.
- Follow PPE use, infection control, and safety procedures.
- Keep call lights within residents’ reach.
- Perform routine housekeeping tasks related to resident care.
- Report hazardous conditions, equipment issues, and safety violations.
- Report infectious diseases per protocol.
- Clean and disinfect shared equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.).
- Use lockout/tagout procedures as directed.
Working Conditions
- Works throughout nursing service areas including resident rooms, nurses’ stations, and utility areas.
- Experiences frequent interruptions and interactions with residents, families, and staff.
- May encounter hostile or emotionally upset individuals.
- Works beyond regular hours, weekends, holidays, and during emergencies as needed.
- Exposed to infectious waste, diseases, chemicals, odors, dust, and air contaminants.
- May experience physical risks such as falls or equipment-related injuries.
Education amp; Experience
- Minimum of a 10th-grade education required.
- Must be an active state-certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).
Required Skills amp; Abilities
- Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English.
- Knowledge and skills appropriate to residents’ age-related needs.
- Ability to work as part of a team and maintain professionalism.
- Ability to make independent decisions when needed.
- Tactful communication with staff, residents, families, and visitors.
- Ability to work with difficult or cognitively impaired residents.
- Willingness to learn and apply new care methods.
- Ability to document resident conditions clearly.
- Must not pose a direct threat to the safety of others.
Physical amp; Sensory Requirements
- Ability to move intermittently throughout the shift.
- Ability to cope with mental and emotional stress.
- Adequate vision and hearing (with or without prosthetics).
- Ability to work independently, with integrity and flexibility.
- Must meet facility health requirements including physical exams.
- Ability to work with ill, disabled, elderly, or hostile residents.
- Must be able to lift, push, pull, and move a minimum of 25 pounds to a height of 5 feet, and carry such weight at least 50 feet with or without the aid of a mechanical device.
- Must be able to assist in resident evacuation during emergencies.