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Small
Victories Reward CNAs for Hard Work
The hours are long. The work is hard. The shifts are sometimes not prime. The
pay is low compared to some factory wages. But, the rewards, small personal
victories provided to clients, and the wisdom passed from the old to the young
are the benefits that keep Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) on the job.
Diane Green, Health Care Service Manager for Silvercrest
Assisted Living of Ames said. She said the CNAs she employees range in age from
19-68 and are mostly female. She said those demographics would be fairly typical
in the industry. CNAs are indefensible to patient care, she said, and provide
director, personal services for their clients. "CNAs here
help our clients with bathing, showers, whirlpool sessions, the delivery of
medications, serving of meals, and other activities. They will assist with almost
everything, including also conducting fire and tornado drills."
Silvercrest may be a little bit different than some other working situations
for CNAs, Green said, because it is for assisted living residents who are largely
capable of caring for themselves, but need support in general areas. The facility
employees 15 CNAs right now who serve 45 residents. The facility is the largestest
assisted living facility in Ames, with apartments for up to 75 residents.
"The major requirement for CNAs is to maintain privacy and confidentiality between
them and their clients," Green said. "I stress that to all of my employees." Green said she also encourages her CNAs to get additional training and that
Silvercrest does over tuition reimbursement. "I like my
CNAs to also become Certified Medication Aids (CNAs). The employees are usually
very glad they take the training. It increases their pay and increases their
responsibilities and provides greater self-satisfaction."
CNAs at Silvercrest also gain from feedback from their patients. "Residents
here are able to provide feedback that isn't always possible for some CNAs.
It is rewarding when you are able to help someone to become more independent
and to be thanked for that." CNAs have a high school diploma, go through
a background check, have references verified and have excellent work ethics,
Green said. Other positive traits include patience and respectfulness. "We depend on our CNAs. They are on the front lines – they will notices small
things first and are able to report potential problems before they become larger."
Many CNAs will go on to other fields in medicine, such as becoming Licensed
Practical Nurses or Registered Nurses. "They already have
an interest in doing something medical," Green said. "This can be a stepping stone to a nursing career. CNAs typically earn from $7.50 - $9 per hour with benefits such as health insurance, vacation, retirement and 401K plans.
And, the demand for these jobs is wide open. The job market for CNAs is good
and demand will continue to increase. Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living
facilities, private home care firms all will need more and more CNAs in the
future. Iowa is graying and people are living longer and healthier. There will
be three times the number of people seeking care as Baby Boomers enter retirement."
This coming need also creates challenges for the industry, she said. "The numbers are down for CNAs, LPNs and nurses. People can earn more working
in a factory than they can caring for patients. We will need to look at what
we need to do to meet the coming demand." The basic requirement is a
desire to learn from others, she said. "A lot of people
appreciate the opportunity to gain from the wisdom and rich life experiences
their clients have. CNAs are the heart of care-giving – no facility can function
without caring and professional CNAs."