What does a Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant do?

A nurses' aide is responsible for providing healthcare and welfare assistance to patients in long-term care facilities while under the supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed colleague with extensive expertise. A nurses' aide is mostly involved in basic hygienic tasks, such as helping a patient in bathing and dressing, using the toilet, preparing meals, feeding, and performing basic chores. It is also vital for a nurses' aide to coordinate with supervisors, reporting any changes in a patients' condition or behavior.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and resident aide. For instance, certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "rehabilitation," "direct patient care," and "phone calls." Whereas a resident aide is skilled in "assist residents," "meal prep," "incontinence care," and "direct care." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "phone calls," "medical terminology," "exam rooms," and "physician orders." Meanwhile, a nurses' aide has duties that require skills in areas such as "english language," "care plan," "mouth care," and "nail care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants are more likely to have skills like "quality care," "phone calls," "medical terminology," and "infection control." But a nurse technician is more likely to have skills like "patient care," "direct supervision," "patient safety," and "telemetry."