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Nursing Assistants

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.

Related: Home Health Aides Licensed Practical & Licensed Vocational Nurses Paramedics Psychiatric Aides Registered Nurses

Industries: Health & Counseling

Summary
Details

Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.
Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum.
Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff.
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
Set up treating or testing equipment, such as oxygen tents, portable radiograph (x-ray) equipment, or overhead irrigation bottles, as directed by a physician or nurse.
Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care.
Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse.
Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse.
Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility.
Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
Supply, collect, or empty bedpans.
Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper.
Prepare or serve food trays.
Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
Change bed linens or make beds.
Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician.
Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
Provide information, such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers.
Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
Record height or weight of patients.
Explain medical instructions to patients or family members.
Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities.
Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.
Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays.
Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care.

Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Education

Postsecondary certificate

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

48260/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

23.2/hr

Currently Employed

39,890

Yearly Projected Openings

6290

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:

Concern for Others
Dependability
Self Control
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Adaptability/Flexibility

Arm orthopedic softgoods
Bedpans
Blanket frames or lifters
Canes
Clinical hydraulic lifts
Clinical trapeze bars
Crutches
Desktop computers
Electronic blood pressure units
Electronic medical thermometers
Electronic stethoscopes
Extremities cradles
Extremity restraints
Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy
Glucose monitors or meters
Gurneys or scissor lifts
Hospital intercom systems
Medical acoustic stethoscopes
Medical aerosol tents
Medical exam or non surgical procedure gloves
Medical gas cylinders or related devices
Medical nasal cannulas
Medical oxygen masks or parts
Medical ultrasound or doppler or pulse echocardiograph or echocardiograph units for general diagnostic use
Mercury blood pressure units
Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
Notebook computers
Orthopedic splint systems
Oxygen therapy delivery system products
Patient bed or table scales for general use
Patient care beds for general use
Patient floor scales
Patient shifting boards
Patient stabilization or fall prevention devices
Patient urinals
Personal computers
Photocopiers
Pulse oximeter units
Razors
Shower or bath chairs or seats for the physically challenged
Special purpose telephones
Specimen collection container
Spirometers
Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
Urinalysis test strips
Urinary catheterization kits
Vascular or compression apparel or support
Walkers or rollators
Wheelchairs