| When you hear the words, "red cross', chances are, it | | | | Those students who complete the coursework and |
| brings to mind, the pinnacle of patient oriented medical | | | | practicum must also pass a required final exam before |
| service. The Red Cross are always on the front lines | | | | officially completing their Red Cross CNA programs, |
| of responding to the needs of the less fortunate. In the | | | | and using that credential to seek employment. This |
| area of training, this is also the case. The Red Cross | | | | certification can translate into between $23,000 to |
| CNA training programs are among the most | | | | $30,000 per year, depending upon the facility. Certified |
| comprehensive there are in the field. A CNA is a | | | | nursing assistants can usually find employment in local |
| certified nursing assistant, a medical worker who deals | | | | hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, mental |
| with a patient one on one, providing critical care and | | | | health facilities, schools, and even in private homes |
| invaluable information to other medical staff. | | | | It is the interpersonal relationship between the certified |
| Red Cross certified nursing assistant training is a two | | | | nursing assistant and his or her patients which is the |
| fold course. It not only involves several weeks of | | | | most important piece in the big picture. As nurses and |
| courses, many from 6 to 12 weeks in duration, but it | | | | physicians are often limited in the time each can spend |
| also incorporates significant clinical, or hands-on training. | | | | with patients, CNA's have many opportunities to speak |
| This ensures that a student has both a clinical and a | | | | candidly with and assess a patient or resident's |
| practical background in the medical support field. | | | | medical concerns and state of mind. It is these |
| Courses include basic nursing, anatomy, physiology, | | | | interactions which provide critical information and insight |
| nutrition, and infection control. Certified Nursing | | | | into the nuances of a patient, often yeilding important |
| Assistants are often expected to give both medical | | | | insights into their conditions. |
| and personal attention to their patients. From assisting | | | | For less than $3,000 for Red Cross CNA training, a |
| nursing staff with medical equipment, to taking patient's | | | | new and rewarding career can be discovered by |
| vital signs, the one on one contact which these | | | | ambitious and caring men and women. |
| professionals have with their patients is critical. | | | | |