Nursing Assistant is a promising job in Australia as there is a need for good healthcare providers. While the medical care field requires one to take some training and a combination of hard and soft skills, it is one of the most trusted professions. It is estimated that more than 80% of retirees will be there in Australia in some years. In such a scenario, nursing assistants are valuable in assisting with administrative tasks and adapting to changing schedules and environments. It is a tough job, and one must have many skills to succeed in any healthcare employment role. If you are considering a career as a certified nursing assistant, below we mention 10 key skills to succeed in this role.
Top 10 Key Skills of a nursing assistant
Knowledge of Medical Terminology
Nursing is a very challenging profession and needs extensive knowledge of medical issues. They need to use the proper medical terminology to follow proper safety protocols and understand anatomy and physiology. Also, they need to communicate effectively with other healthcare workers and deal with the most difficult situations. Therefore, it is the best way to get prior training and a certified diploma in nursing assistant.
Adaptable
In the healthcare system, assistant in nursing needs to have a positive attitude as they have to deal with different encounters daily. As a nursing assistant, you can adjust to unfavourable circumstances and have the skill to adapt without any adverse effect on the patients or practice. Then this skill can be a very handful tool for you to complete dozens of tasks efficiently.
Flexible in tasks
A day as a nursing assistant brings its unique challenges with unpredictable situations. Over the course, a nursing assistant has to be flexible and may be asked to work weekend shifts or work for more hours. The quality of flexibility helps them to adapt to ever-shifting priorities and also get ready to embrace change in responsibilities.
Empathetic and Compassionate
Working day in and day out with sick people can be too draining for any person. Having a compassionate spirit and empathy is a must-have personality for this role. These attributes can support patients in distress and help to build connections to create a safe environment for patients to heal.
Pays Attention to Detail
Having compassion and kindness can often make much of a difference, but working as a nursing assistant job requires high attention to detail. For that, they need high educational background. They need to read patient charts and pay attention to small details of nonverbal cues such as sleep pattern, appetite etc., as this can be critical in this field and extremely important in keeping the patients healthy. Noticing these small details about a patient’s health and recording every condition can help you provide the most direct and frequent care to patients.
Possesses a Strong Work Ethic
In this CNA job, you need to be prepared to have an over-stuffed schedule and, with that, have a strong work ethic. Everything must be properly managed despite shifts being long and tiring. For this job, it isn’t unusual to lift patients in and out of beds, work 12-hour shifts in a row, work in understaffed facilities and stay strong.
Drives Strong Communication
A nursing assistant must have strong communication skills to be on the front line of healthcare operations. They must speak slowly and know how and when to communicate most effectively. Having this important skill can gain anyone recruitment in this healthcare profession.
Patience with Patients
As much as Effective communication is important, patience with patients is equally important in the nursing assistant profession. It is one of the top skills that can give the best possible care without getting frustrated or upset. This quality has the speciality to exacerbate an already challenging situation and handle numerous mental and physical challenges.
Technologically Savvy
Working in the medical field comes with lots of challenges. Nursing assistants are responsible for providing constant comfort and care. For that purpose, they need to remain knowledgeable on technology trends as these advancements can greatly improve the lives of their patients.
Being an early adopter of technology can improve patient care and management workflow.
Robust and Healthy Persona
It’s no surprise that a nursing assistant needs to have the upper body strength to perform various tasks in such a competitive and physically challenging job. You may also need strength to carry out heavy-duty tasks. So, keep your body fit with a healthy diet as it will be very helpful in doing this job efficiently.
Key Takeaways
As you may have seen above, some of the necessary skills and qualities of being a successful nursing assistant. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed if you don’t have some. You can join some Certified Nursing Assistant training programs and acquire knowledge, traits, and special skills of the nursing profession and become a competent nurse. This approach will help you to work in the field and give you the proper training to carry out your tasks confidently and thereby excel in this profession. So, explore your opportunities and work closely with patients to get the maximum exposure in this most hospitable profession.