Potential Positions Most program graduates work as nursing assistants in extended care facilities, hospitals, clinics and home health agencies. Others work in residential care facilities, such as halfway houses and homes for the elderly or disabled, or in private households. Nationally, about one-half of all nursing assistants work in nursing homes, and about one-fourth work in hospitals.
Employment Outlook Employment of nursing assistants is expected to increase 48% through the year 2012. Employment of nursing assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations in response to an emphasis on rehabilitation and the long-term care needs of a rapidly aging population.
Typical Tasks Specific tasks typically required of a nursing assistant include:Performing routine tasks under the supervision of nursing and medical staff;answering patients’ call bells, delivering messages, serving meals, making beds, and helping patients eat, dress and bathe; providing skin care to patients, taking temperatures, pulse, respiration and blood pressure, and helping patients get in and out of bed and walk;escorting patients to operating and examining rooms, keeping patients’ rooms neat, setting up equipment, and storing and moving supplies; and observing patients’ physical, mental, and emotional conditions and reporting any change to the nursing or medical staff.
This program typically starts in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer Quarters
