The position of a Certified Nursing Assistant or Home Health Aide is a critical element to a variety of medical and health care-related organizations. CNA’s provide direct care to patients in various area of need and are also sometimes referred to as called patient care technicians.

With the current trend of health care professions on the incline, CNA jobs are in demand more now then ever. If you like working with people and are interested in the health care field, consider looking into, becoming a certified nursing assistant. Certification classes can be 4-6-8-12-weeks with the course being provided by organizations like the American Red Cross, vocational schools or community colleges. If you are looking for onlineCNA training, it will be a challenge to find an online CNA class.

Generally CNA programs and classes have some online training but the bigger part of the course is in class. Free CNA courses are a bit of a stretch, but nothing is impossible. Good luck on that one. Certified Nursing assistants can earn salaries of between $23,000 and $30,000 per year.* The main factors affecting CNA salaries are years of experience and the facility in which they are employed. CNAs work in nursing homes, hospitals, mental health facilities, assisted living facilities, and private homes.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BECOMING A CNA or HHA!

Home health aides help seniors, convalescent, or disabled people who live in their own homes rather then a health care facility. Under the supervision of medical staff, they provide health related services, such as administering medications, checking vital signs, assist with hygiene, give massages and provide skin care, or assist with braces and artificial limbs. Home health aides can provide housekeeping and routine personal care services and like nursing aides, may help with simple exercises that have been prescribed by a physician. Experienced home health aides, with training, also may assist with medical equipment such as ventilators, which help patients breathe.

CPR/First Aid Certification for CNA’s and HHA’s

Most schools providing CNA and HHA training will have first and CPR training within the course. However, programs are different across the country and all programs do not necessarily certified student in first and CPR. It is important to check and find out whether the program you are considering provides you will the needed certification in addition to the training. Employers will almost certainly require one or both certifications, so it is best to simply get obtain both certifications. If you are considering online CPR and First Aid certification it is advisable that you take a course which has a physical class attendance requirement in addition to the online training. Some organizations (especially hospitals) will not accept CPR First Aid certification that is done entirely online. Although it is certainly less expensive and convenient, there is a chance that it will not meet an employer’s requirement. It is necessary that CNA’s and HHA’s are competent in basic life support considering the fact they are direct patient care technicians and likely to experience a patient having a heart attack or suffering sudden cardiac arrest at some point in their career, if not multiple times. Proper training ensures that care providers are responding appropriately and effectively.

Professional liability insurance protects CNA’s, HHA and other health care professions against allegations of malpractice. Your employer may provide coverage for you, but it may not cover you in all cases. Your employer's policy may cover you, but usually only up to a certain point. An employer's policy is designed protect their needs and interests first. If you have your own protection, you will have the benefit of your own representation that is concerned specifically with your interests and needs.

Is insurance really that important? Facilities are being bought and sold all the time, sometimes they are closed. What might happen if you are named in a lawsuit for an incident that occurred three years ago and you no longer work at that facility, or, it is now closed? This is when having your own policy really pays off. Your employer's policy probably only covers you while you are at work. It is unlikely that your employer's policy will protect you if you give medical advice after hours or perform any volunteer work.

Insurance is a personal decision that you need to make. The question you may want to ask yourself is "What if I don't have coverage or have enough coverage and I'm sued?" When something happens and a patient is injured, attorneys will name everyone in the lawsuit who was involved in the patients' care. That will happen whether you have your own coverage or not. But if you do have your own coverage, and are named in a lawsuit, having a policy can protect you by preparing you for a deposition and paying for your defense and in addition any settlement or judgment against you.