National
| Median wages (2008) |
$11.46 hourly, $23,850 annual |
| Employment (2006) |
1,447,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) |
Faster than average (14% to 20%)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) |
393,000 additional employees |
31-1012.00 - Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
Provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties, such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens.
Sample of reported job titles:
Certified Nurses Aide (CNA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Nursing Assistant, Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Patient Care Assistant (PCA), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Certified Medication Aide (CMA), Attendant, Psychiatric Attendant, Hospital Assistant
Tasks
- Answer patients' call signals.
- Turn and reposition bedridden patients, alone or with assistance, to prevent bedsores.
- Observe patients' conditions, measuring and recording food and liquid intake and output and vital signs, and report changes to professional staff.
- Feed patients who are unable to feed themselves.
- Provide patients with help walking, exercising, and moving in and out of bed.
- Provide patient care by supplying and emptying bed pans, applying dressings and supervising exercise routines.
- Bathe, groom, shave, dress, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
- Transport patients to treatment units, using a wheelchair or stretcher.
- Clean rooms and change linens.
- Collect specimens such as urine, feces, or sputum.
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Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Enema kits or accessories — Enema equipment |
| Specimen collectors — Specimen collection containers |
| Surgical gloves |
| Therapeutic heating or cooling blankets or drapes — Hyper/hypothermia blankets |
| Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs — Cold packs |
| Urinalysis test strips — Urine testing strips |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Calendar and scheduling software — Scheduling software |
| Data base user interface and query software — Database software |
| Medical software — Medical records software |
| Word processing software |
