What does a nurses' aide 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.
Nurses' aide responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real nurses' aide resumes:
- Manage and schedule restorative nursing programs for patients to encourage further rehabilitation or maintenance of physical function.
- Maintain current CPR and hospital policies, work with patients ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics on a daily basis.
- Perform ADL's (activities of daily living) and direct care services to assign patients to ensure schedule appointments are met
- Assist with patient transfer, ambulation, catheter care, vital signs, answering call lights, feeding, and shower.
- Lead RCA that overlook on residents and supervise staff.
- Perform housekeeping to maintain cleanliness of the facility or patient's residence.
- Attend regulatory meetings about health, safety and are certified to administer CPR.
- Instruct or advise clients on issues such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, or nutrition.
- Perform personal hygiene by perinatal care on patients who are incontinent, assist patients with bedpans and urinals.
- Assist residents with activities of daily living, dressing, bathing, hygiene, and feeding while maintaining professionalism and compassion.
- Provide daily care for residents which includes; bathing, toileting, feeding, grooming, exercising, and catheter care.
- Provide companionship, compassion and ensure for safety.
- Provide residents with exceptional personal-care services including ADL, medication and toileting support.
- Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
- Report any adverse effects or allergies occurring in the resident to the charge nurse.
Nurses' aide skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Nurses' Aides are proficient in Patients, Vital Signs, and Electrocardiogram. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Nurses' Aides that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 27%
Attended multiple patients efficiently * Translated medical problems to patients * Documented patient information
- Vital Signs, 12%
Administrated and recorded vital signs ensuring to immediately notify patient's doctor if any new health concerns developed.
- Electrocardiogram, 8%
Assisted in performing electrocardiogram procedures.
- Compassion, 7%
Utilize effective communication skills by displaying a strong sense of compassion with regard to issues of death of patients.
- Rehabilitation, 5%
Performed direct daily living care for rehabilitation patients * Charting via computer * Accompany patients to rehab appointments
- Medical Equipment, 4%
Performed light housekeeping duties and cleaned medical equipment.
Most nurses' aides use their skills in "patients," "vital signs," and "electrocardiogram" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential nurses' aide responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a nurses' aide to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what nurses' aides do because "nursing assistants and orderlies must communicate effectively to address patients’ or residents’ concerns." Additionally, a nurses' aide resume shows how nurses' aides use communication skills: "gained an understanding of the importance of organization and communication to ultimately deliver the best in patient care. "
Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling nurses' aide duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "nursing assistants and orderlies assist and care for the sick, injured, and elderly." According to a nurses' aide resume, here's how nurses' aides can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "gained familiarity with patient care, recording fluid i/o, performing vitals - demonstrated compassionate interactions with patients"
Patience. nurses' aides are also known for patience, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to nurses' aide responsibilities, because "the routine tasks of cleaning, feeding, and bathing patients or residents can be stressful." A nurses' aide resume example shows how patience is used in the workplace: "developed strong characteristics such as patience, openness, and compassion due to the high-stress and risky nature of the assignments. "
Physical stamina. For certain nurses' aide responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a nurses' aide rely on this skill, as "nursing assistants and orderlies spend much of their time on their feet." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what nurses' aides do: "home health aid monitors patient condition by observing physical and mental condition, intake and output, and exercise. "
The three companies that hire the most nurses' aides are:
- Genesis HealthCare289 nurses' aides jobs
- WakeMed147 nurses' aides jobs
- Atrium Health Floyd104 nurses' aides jobs
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Nurses' aide vs. Mobile phlebotomist
A mobile phlebotomist mostly travels to various places such as patients' homes and nursing facilities to draw blood samples for laboratory analysis and medical condition diagnosis. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering information to verify the patient's identification, coordinating with nurses or facility officials, labeling and organizing samples according to a set of protocols, delivering samples to designated areas, and maintaining patient records. Furthermore, as a mobile phlebotomist, it is essential to monitor the quantity and cleanliness of supply, properly discarding used items such as syringes and cotton.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between nurses' aides and mobile phlebotomist. For instance, nurses' aide responsibilities require skills such as "electrocardiogram," "rehabilitation," "medical equipment," and "home health." Whereas a mobile phlebotomist is skilled in "blood specimens," "phlebotomy training," "tourniquet," and "blood samples." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Mobile phlebotomists really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $33,452. Comparatively, nurses' aides tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $30,130.On average, mobile phlebotomists reach similar levels of education than nurses' aides. Mobile phlebotomists are 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Nurses' aide vs. Patient sitter
The primary job of a patient sitter is to provide patients with care and companionship. You will be responsible for a few duties that always include supervising patients, assisting them with basic personal hygiene and care, and monitoring their vital signs. As a patient sitter, you are expected to refrain from doing unauthorized or additional functions, identifying changes in patient's conditions, and maintaining patient information confidentiality. You are also expected to comply with relevant standards, procedures, and policies.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real nurses' aide resumes. While nurses' aide responsibilities can utilize skills like "electrocardiogram," "medical equipment," "home health," and "english language," patient sitters use skills like "bls," "patient observation," "continuous observation," and "direct observation."
On average, patient sitters earn a lower salary than nurses' aides. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, patient sitters earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $29,697. Whereas nurses' aides have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $30,130.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Patient sitters tend to reach similar levels of education than nurses' aides. In fact, they're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nurses' aide vs. Phlebotomist
Phlebotomists are workers in the medical field who specialize in drawing blood from patients. They ensure that patients are prepared by explaining the procedure to them, showing them tools they will use and where their blood will be stored, and answering any questions the patients may have. Phlebotomists then draw blood from the patient, patch up the area where the blood was drawn, and store the blood samples in properly labeled vials or blood bags. After the procedure, they send the blood samples to the laboratory for testing, transfusion, or any other use that there may be.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, nurses' aides are more likely to have skills like "rehabilitation," "medical equipment," "home health," and "cpr." But a phlebotomist is more likely to have skills like "blood samples," "blood specimens," "data entry," and "osha."
Phlebotomists make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $34,086. On the other hand, nurses' aides are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $30,130.Most phlebotomists achieve a similar degree level compared to nurses' aides. For example, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nurses' aide vs. Sitter
A sitter is responsible for assisting medical needs under the supervision of an attending physician, registered nurses, and other health professionals. Sitters monitor the patients' daily activities and perform medical duties such as taking the patient's temperature, administering medications, monitoring food intake, helping with bathing needs, and responding to the patients' inquiries, concerns, and requests. They also keep track of medical charts to report the patients' health condition and progress to the senior staff.
Types of nurses' aide
Updated January 8, 2025











