Nursing Assistant

The job of a Nursing Assistant, though sort of tough, has many rewards. You work under a Nurse and do all the jobs they don’t have time for or don’t want to do. You change beds, take vital signs, help transport patients, and assist with their personal care. This includes giving baths, feeding and dressing them, changing bedpans, or answering their calls.

These tasks are all pretty physical. They also require you to get to know your patients really quickly, and work with them on a very close level. For example, you’re often called upon to lift and move a patient, or at least help in the process.

But the best part about this job is that you get so much fulfillment out of it. In the hospital, you may be the only worker who’s in contact with a scared and lonely patient on a daily basis. You help this patient feel more comfortable, both physically and mentally. And you provide relief by keeping them clean and fed. You’re actually more than a Nursing Assistant, you’re also a friend to them.

Hospitals aren’t the only places that employ Nursing Assistants. You can also work in a mental health institution, private home, Doctor ’s, or nursing home. And if you’re dreaming of becoming a full-time Nurse one day, this position is a good stepping stone. You can use it to gain work experience and to figure out which area of nursing you want to specialize in.