What to Expect Your First Year of Being an STNA
Posted on April, 15, 2015 by admin
Are you looking to become a State Tested Nurses Assistant, but aren’t sure what to expect your first year of STNA training? A career as a state tested nurse aide can be a rewarding path, if you are willing to put the hard work and effort into your training and classes. Here are some items of interest you can expect from your first year as an STNA.
Quick Placement and Job Security:
In this day and age, many college and university students are struggling to find work post-graduation. Lucky for you, our STNA course has a 95% success rate with job placement, meaning after taking just under three weeks of training you will be likely to find placement. There is a worldwide need for nurses, and always an abundance of jobs available throughout the USA for nursing assistants; whether you choose to work in a hospital, retirement home, hospice, or for private home care.
A Fast-Paced Environment:
Being an STNA is not for the lazy or the faint of heart. Working as a STNA, you will sometimes be put in a fast-paced working environment with plenty of roles and responsibilities heaped on you. Working at a retirement or assisted living home, you may be assigned many patients/rooms in a small amount of time, meaning you will be trying to care for a dozen people’s needs and desires, such as bathing and dressing, all at once. With proper training and a good attitude, you’ll be able to handle yourself just fine. If you feel overwhelmed, take a 2-minute timeout just for yourself to focus on breathing and remaining calm. A positive attitude will carry you a long way. Remember, you are there to help.
Uncomfortable Tasks:
While you may not think twice about helping out your family member with an illness, helping a complete stranger can be a little uncomfortable at times, especially when dealing with their excrement, or washing their genitals. Because we are not used to caring for someone else’s needs in this way, it can be a little jarring at first. Remind yourself that this person is sick and they need your help. Treat your patient as you would like to be treated in such an awkward position, offering them dignity and respect by the way you deal with them.
A Rewarding Career:
While not everyone goes into a career as STNA with a desire to change people’s lives, you will inevitably find that this will happen. You will change people, and they will change you. Your job as a nursing assistant will be difficult at times, but its discomforts are far outnumbered by the numerous rewards brought to you when you see how your attitude and care can change a person’s life or experience.
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Career Choices for New STNAs
Posted on March, 23, 2015 by admin
Women comprise the majority of STNAs (State Tested Nursing Assistants) within the U.S. The median pay within this field is around $10.48/hr. Generally, earnings vary from $8.77/hr. to $13.11 per hour. Location includes the biggest factor that affects pay for this industry, followed by the particular employer and career length. Though the greater portion lack health benefits of any type, over 2/5 enjoy medical insurance, and 1/3 receive dental coverage, as well. Job satisfaction is stated as high by most workers.
STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant) Job Description
A STNA (state tested nursing assistant) will hold an entry-level position within the medical industry. STNAs will work in various medical settings, which include retirement homes, hospitals, as well as home health aides. The educational requirements differ depending upon the state, yet usually involves a high school diploma or the equivalent, 100-hr. training program, as well as extra instruction in first aid and CPR. Also, most states require a supervised clinical rotation prior to certification.
STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant) Tasks
• Feed, position, dress, bathe, and help patients with grooming and additional tasks.
• Monitor patients’ conditions, record and measure liquid and food consumption as well as output and vital signs, report changes to expert staff.
• Helps with direct patient care underneath supervision of the RN or additional medical professional.
• Offer patients assistance with exercising, walking and moving out of and into bed.
Common Career Paths for STNAs
• STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant)
• LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)
• RN (Registered Nurse)
• RN (MDS Coordinator Registered Nurse)
• RN (Emergency Room, or Licensed Vocational Nurse, Registered Nurse)
• RN (Operating Room Registered Nurse)
• NP (Family Nurse Practitioner)
• ARNP (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner)
• Certified Medical Assistant
• LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Certified Medical Phlebotomist Medical Assistant
STNAs, at the upper end, moving into an RN (Registered Nurse) role may wind up with a hefty rise in pay. The median income for RNs (Registered Nurses) is $55,000 a year. One typical career progression for a STNA includes becoming a Medical Assistant or Licensed Practical Nurse. As compared with STNAs, Licensed Practical Nurses earn $15,000 more on average, and Medical Assistants earn $5,000 more.
What are you waiting for? Contact Premier Choice Health Training Services to enroll in STNA classes in Columbus Ohio today. Before you know it, you will be in rewarding careers as a STNA!
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The Roles of an STNA
Posted on January, 23, 2015 by admin
Within the health care industry, support staff such as STNAs assist patients’ needs for basic bedside care. In the state of Ohio, as a STNA you are certified to work in nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities. STNAs have a number of job responsibilities that are under the direction or supervision of a registered nurse or physician. Working as a STNA, you are the one that has the most day-to-day interaction with patients so if their conditions change, you will be the first to notice and inform senior staff. Here we have broken down a few of the basic roles a STNA is responsible for:
Basic Personal Care: A large part of a STNA’s responsibly revolves around basic personal care for patients. This involves assisting patients with using the restroom or bedpan, assisting with bathing or providing sponge baths, and other personal hygiene depending on the patients’ mobility.
Basic Nursing Care: STNAs preform basic nursing duties for their patients. As a STNA if your patient is bedridden, they will need to be regularly repositioned to prevent bedsores. Vital signs, blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, and respiratory rate typically need to be checked and documented.
Physical Activity: STNAs assist their patients with staying physically active. They often lead patients in low-impact exercises that are designed to preserve their range of motion and overall fitness. As a STNA you will work with patients and provide support for their regular physical activity.
Working within the health care industry as a STNA can be a rewarding and demanding position. There are a number of job opportunities within this field and after completing the training to become a STNA, progressing in training is always an option to continue into nursing.
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Find an STNA Job
Posted on October, 18, 2013 by admin
Business may be booming for STNAs, CNA’s and home health care aides, but so are the number of people looking for jobs in the field. The more skilled and networked you are as a job seeker, the more likely it is that you will land a position in a highly-sought STNA role. PCHS offers a number of ways to help make this happen.
Our two-and-a-half week long STNA classes are highly regarded, with an unparalleled 98% pass rate for the state certification exam. We’re a training program that approaches with the goal of getting our students all of the skills they need to pass the test. PCHS offers unlimited reviews, unlimited access to our facilities to practice, and sample computerized tests. Our thorough program ensures the highest pass rate in the state of Ohio.
In-facility clinicals during the course of the class allow our students to practice the skills they’re learning in a practical environment. There is no more effective way to study for the state test. Classes that offer anything less are not doing their students justice.
On our website, you’ll also find our STNA job board. This is a fantastic resource for our graduates to explore opportunities in the Central Ohio area and see what facilities are looking for highly-qualified candidates. Most courses are just that: only a course. PCHS is a person-driven, in our care style and in our course material. We support your growth as a professional and not just as a student.
Check out our calendar of courses available online, as well as our STNA job board. Are you ready to jump start your career in home healthcare? Contact PCHS to learn more or sign-up for a class.
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