The short answer
A certified nursing assistant (CNA) provides most of the hands-on care a nursing home resident receives: bathing, dressing, grooming, help with eating and drinking, toileting and incontinence care, turning and repositioning, transfers and walking, and taking vital signs. CNAs work under the supervision of nurses and are usually the first to notice changes such as new redness, poor appetite or confusion.
Typical duties
- Bathing, dressing, oral care and grooming
- Helping residents eat and drink, and recording how much was eaten
- Toileting, incontinence care and changing
- Turning and repositioning bedbound residents to prevent pressure injuries
- Transfers from bed to chair and help with walking, using lifts where required
- Taking vital signs and weights
- Answering call bells
- Reporting changes in condition to the nurse
- Documenting care on flow sheets
What CNAs generally may not do
CNAs generally do not give medications, perform wound treatments or make clinical assessments. Those are nursing duties. If a CNA reports a problem, a nurse is responsible for assessing it and acting.
Training and certification
Federal rules require nurse aides to complete a state-approved training program of at least 75 hours, including supervised clinical training, and to pass a competency evaluation. A facility may not use someone as a nurse aide for more than four months unless the aide has completed training and is competent. New York maintains a Nurse Aide Registry where certification can be checked.
Why this matters
When a facility is short-staffed, the CNAs feel it first: each aide has more residents, and turning, toileting and feeding help get skipped. New York requires a minimum amount of CNA care time per resident each day. See New York nursing home staffing requirements.
Tips for families
- Learn the names of the CNAs who care for your loved one on each shift.
- Ask how many residents each aide is assigned on days, evenings and nights.
- Tell the nurse, not only the aide, about any concern, so it is assessed and documented.
The rules behind this
- 42 C.F.R. § 483.35(d) (nurse aide requirements)
- 42 C.F.R. § 483.152 (nurse aide training programs)
Related questions
This guide provides general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements with the facility, the New York State Department of Health or a professional. Attorney Advertising.