How to Be a Certified Nursing Assistant

Series Summary

A nurse is a health care professional that treats, prevents and educates individuals with chronic or acute illnesses or injuries. Focusing on recovery, the nursing profession is one of the most vital and noble medical careers. Nurses are there at birth, and they are there at death. However, the nursing career doesn't begin and end at the hospital. Many nurses work in medical research, community clinics, doctor's offices and their own clinics. In this free video series, a board-licensed practical nurse provides information on the nursing impression. Find out how to be a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, how to prepare for an LVN nursing course and how to prepare for nursing school. Learn about licensed practical nurse jobs, nursing agencies and nursing homes. Discover what nurses do and how to become a nurse with this information.

Video Transcript

"If you find yourself looking to get into a nursing assistant career, there are different options and ways to get into that. It's a very rewarding job; we're going to try to go through that today. I'm Dan Carlson. I'm a nurse and this is how to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. First thing you want to do is check around for local classes and stuff and if you can't find them at classes, a good way to find out how to get into the nursing assistant career would be go do a nursing home or a hospital and they can direct you in that way. And a lot of places you'll find will hire you as a nursing assistant and then help you go through the Certified Nursing Assistant program. And now from state to state, you'll go through a Certified Nursing Assistant program and be certified by that state, so if you do switch states, you'll have to do it again for that other state. But one thing about Certified Nursing Assistants, they have to have a lot of compassion and care for the resident or patient that they're going to be working with. You'll be working a lot with nurses and doctors, helping them and their day to day business. A lot of things, you just can be sitting and talking with the patient though and that's really rewarding to sit and just listen to their day and make them feel a little more calm and at ease about where they are and you know, make, make them feel a little better for them to be at the hospital or at the nursing home. It's a very rewarding career. There's lots ways to get into it, but check in the hospitals, in the nursing homes or your local colleges, stuff like that. It usually takes about three to four weeks to get through the program and it's very rewarding; great career to get into. I'm Dan Carlson. Thank you very much."