A certified nursing assistant, or CNA, is a licensed medical professional who provides basic care to patients in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and for home care and hospice companies. Their duties may include taking vital signs such as temperature and blood pressure, recording intake and output measurements, assisting with feeding, bathing, and dressing patients, transporting patients to appointments or procedures, and helping with basic mobility.
CNAs also may help doctors and nurses during examinations or treatments and provide emotional support to patients during difficult periods of treatment or recovery. While CNAs do not diagnose illnesses, they report observations and changes to appropriate medical staff and document these changes in a patient’s condition.
