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Career Details

31-1131.00 - Nursing Assistants


Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
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Forecasted Employment
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Change in Employment
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Change in Employment %
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Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
  • Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care.
  • Change bed linens or make beds.
  • Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
  • Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum.
  • Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.
  • Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
  • Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
  • Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities.
  • Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
  • Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.
  • Prepare or serve food trays.
  • Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
  • Record height or weight of patients.
  • Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff.
  • Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
  • Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper.
  • Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
  • Supply, collect, or empty bedpans.
  • Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
  • Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
  • Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
  • Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
  • Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility.
  • Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
  • Provide information, such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers.
Supplemental
  • Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse.
  • Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician.
  • Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
  • Set up treating or testing equipment, such as oxygen tents, portable radiograph (x-ray) equipment, or overhead irrigation bottles, as directed by a physician or nurse.
  • Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays.
  • Explain medical instructions to patients or family members.
  • Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 78%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Administration and Management
  • 67%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 English Language
  • 65%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 63%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 63%
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
 Education and Training
  • 62%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Therapy and Counseling
  • 60%
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 Psychology
  • 59%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 55%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 53%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Clerical
  • 52%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Patient beds and accessories
  • Adjustable hospital beds
  • Clinical trapeze traction bars
 Blood pressure units and related products
  • Automated blood pressure cuffs
  • Manual blood pressure equipment
 Emergency medical services resuscitation products
  • Automated external defibrillators AED
 Decubitus prevention products
  • Bed cradles
  • Foot boards
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
 Medical thermometers and accessories
  • Electronic patient thermometers
  • Oral thermometers
  • Rectal thermometers
  • Tympanic thermometers
 Stethoscopes and related products
  • Electronic stethoscopes
  • Mechanical stethoscopes
 Medical facility building systems
  • Hospital intercom equipment
 Patient lifts
  • Hydraulic patient lifts
 Medical gloves and accessories
  • Medical examination protective gloves
 Patient transport products
  • Medical gurneys
  • Patient transfer boards
  • Patient transport wheelchairs
 Medical weight scales
  • Medical scales
  • Patient bed scales
 Personal communication devices
  • Multi-line telephone systems
 Casting and splinting supplies
  • Orthopedic splint sets
 Oxygen therapy delivery systems and devices
  • Oxygen masks
  • Oxygen nasal cannulas
  • Oxygen tanks
  • Oxygen tents
  • Oxygen therapy equipment
 Restraints and accessories
  • Patient limb restraints
  • Protective patient restraints
 Duplicating machines
  • Photocopying equipment
 Pulse oximeters
  • Pulse oximeters
 Bath and body
  • Safety razors
 Heat and cold therapy products
  • Therapeutic cold packs
  • Therapeutic hot packs
 Urological supplies
  • Urinary catheters
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Industry specific software
  • Epic SystemsHOT
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • Medical condition coding softwareHOT
  • Medical procedure coding software
  • Medical record charting software
  • MEDITECH softwareHOT
  • PointClickCare
  • Telemetry software
 Information exchange software
  • FaceTime
  • Microsoft OutlookHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Health information database software
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • YouTubeHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific certifications are listed for this career
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Laurel Ridge Community College
New River Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Southside Virginia Community College
Wytheville Community College