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What skills was important while you were in school for CNA and when you first got the job?
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Suzanne’s Answer
Dear Jacobi,
I was a CNA before I became a registered nurse and this was many years ago. I believe these essential skills (some innate and some I learned) were the most helpful:
1. Deliberate observation: really taking the time to look and see what the patient, the patient's environment, the family, the work environment. You would be surprised how often people miss very important clues. Here is an example: a patient walks into the clinic. I can see, from across the hall, the patient looks pale, has a stooped posture, and has a blank expression on their face. I tell the doctor, "patient X looks very sick. Please make sure you check them for fever". Sure enough, the patient was not just sick, they were septic and required hospitalization.
2. Active listening: this skill means that when listening to others talk, you are not thinking of what you want to say, or what you believe, or how you might think they are right or wrong, or thinking of something else altogether. REALLY TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN: to what the patient is saying, how they are saying it, how they are holding the face and body. Listen with all of your senses. This skill absolutely saves lives.
3. Critical thinking: this is an advanced skill and may take years to develop, but a CNA or a nurse or a doctor, in order to excel, must develop this skill. Critical thinking involves the ability to see a situation from several different viewpoints almost simultaneously. A prime example is in how a physician diagnoses an illness. The doctor must have all patient information, vital signs, and initial test results, and then decide which of perhaps several diagnosis, is the correct one. As a CNA, we must look at the patients we are assigned, look at their status, review their vital signs, and determine how to prioritize our time. I would encourage additional study into the process of developing critical thinking skills.
Here is a short video that further explains critical thinking: https://youtu.be/dItUGF8GdTw
I hope you find these answers helpful!
Best,
Sue
I was a CNA before I became a registered nurse and this was many years ago. I believe these essential skills (some innate and some I learned) were the most helpful:
1. Deliberate observation: really taking the time to look and see what the patient, the patient's environment, the family, the work environment. You would be surprised how often people miss very important clues. Here is an example: a patient walks into the clinic. I can see, from across the hall, the patient looks pale, has a stooped posture, and has a blank expression on their face. I tell the doctor, "patient X looks very sick. Please make sure you check them for fever". Sure enough, the patient was not just sick, they were septic and required hospitalization.
2. Active listening: this skill means that when listening to others talk, you are not thinking of what you want to say, or what you believe, or how you might think they are right or wrong, or thinking of something else altogether. REALLY TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN: to what the patient is saying, how they are saying it, how they are holding the face and body. Listen with all of your senses. This skill absolutely saves lives.
3. Critical thinking: this is an advanced skill and may take years to develop, but a CNA or a nurse or a doctor, in order to excel, must develop this skill. Critical thinking involves the ability to see a situation from several different viewpoints almost simultaneously. A prime example is in how a physician diagnoses an illness. The doctor must have all patient information, vital signs, and initial test results, and then decide which of perhaps several diagnosis, is the correct one. As a CNA, we must look at the patients we are assigned, look at their status, review their vital signs, and determine how to prioritize our time. I would encourage additional study into the process of developing critical thinking skills.
Here is a short video that further explains critical thinking: https://youtu.be/dItUGF8GdTw
I hope you find these answers helpful!
Best,
Sue
Thank You !
Jacobi
Updated
Natasha’s Answer
My answer is based on experiences from many years ago: a CNA gains a lot of his or her practical and necessary skills during internships or volunteering opportunities. It is the kind of program that goes beyond the classroom and the books that one studies from.
For instance, I had the opportunity to learn how to take vitals, how to feed patients, how to assist during grooming, during recreation time, during physical therapy, etc. I even learned the specific techniques of making a hospital bed. I gained exposure to the job in a nursing home and well as a hospital in my city, which coordinated with some schools to have students come in for field training and practice. I shadowed nurses a lot; other times, trainees shadowed both doctors and nurses depending on the tasks and needs of the ward.
These on-the-job experiences reveal that the ability to collaborate and the capacity of have sympathy and empathy are important facets of being a CNA. A lot times, you need information or input from others on the team in order to do the job effectively and well. A CNA witnesses both happy and sad moments during a shift and must be able to balance the attractive side with the unappealing components of the work.
Putting safety at the forefront of your work means taking the steps necessary to protect yourself, colleagues and patients. That means following procedures and asking questions if unsure. Another important skill for a CNA is self-care; to be strong enough to help lift patients or shift furnitures to re-organize for activities, means that a CNA must eat well, sleep enough, get enough mental rest each and every week. You are constantly moving around when you are at work so you must have the stamina to do a shift where there's barely enough time to sit (except during official lunch break). Of course, how busy you are will also depend on whether your employer is a large hospital in major city or a nursing home in a small town. The important thing is to always take care of yourself so that you can be strong enough for your patients, co-workers and the team.
I hope this was helpful.
Good Luck and Stay Well,
Natasha
For instance, I had the opportunity to learn how to take vitals, how to feed patients, how to assist during grooming, during recreation time, during physical therapy, etc. I even learned the specific techniques of making a hospital bed. I gained exposure to the job in a nursing home and well as a hospital in my city, which coordinated with some schools to have students come in for field training and practice. I shadowed nurses a lot; other times, trainees shadowed both doctors and nurses depending on the tasks and needs of the ward.
These on-the-job experiences reveal that the ability to collaborate and the capacity of have sympathy and empathy are important facets of being a CNA. A lot times, you need information or input from others on the team in order to do the job effectively and well. A CNA witnesses both happy and sad moments during a shift and must be able to balance the attractive side with the unappealing components of the work.
Putting safety at the forefront of your work means taking the steps necessary to protect yourself, colleagues and patients. That means following procedures and asking questions if unsure. Another important skill for a CNA is self-care; to be strong enough to help lift patients or shift furnitures to re-organize for activities, means that a CNA must eat well, sleep enough, get enough mental rest each and every week. You are constantly moving around when you are at work so you must have the stamina to do a shift where there's barely enough time to sit (except during official lunch break). Of course, how busy you are will also depend on whether your employer is a large hospital in major city or a nursing home in a small town. The important thing is to always take care of yourself so that you can be strong enough for your patients, co-workers and the team.
I hope this was helpful.
Good Luck and Stay Well,
Natasha