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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.