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CNA vs. STNA – What’s the Difference?

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

 

 

Many people mistakenly believe that a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and a STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant) are the same.

 
They are not.

 

In Ohio, CNA means that you are “certified,” meaning that you took the STNA class only and you’ve finished it. You have completed all of the practical learning as far as standardized classes are concerned and you have completed a minimum number of hours in a clinical setting in a long-term care facility, nursing home, or hospice setting.
You have demonstrated a desire to learn about the profession. But you have not passed the state exam. The CNA is a temporary designation which allows you to work in a STNA position before you have passed the state test.

 

Per Ohio law, once you have your certificate of completion of STNA training, you have to decide between two choices:

 

1. If you want to work and earn money right away, you have only 4 months from the time of finishing the course (received certificate of completing the class becoming a CNA) to the time you MUST take the test to become a State Tested Nursing Assistant. If you do not take the test within 4 months of completing the course, you MUST retake the entire STNA course over again in order to be eligible to take the STNA exam.

 

Note: If you fail the test the first time you get 2 more chances (total of 3) to pass the state exam. That process can extend a little more than 4 months, but not much.

 

2. The second option is that you don’t start working and earning money as a nursing assistant. Then you have two years in which to take the STNA exam. If you complete the course but do not take the test within two years, then you have to start all over again.

 

What some folks get confused is that they think that they can just not for 4 months and then find work as a CNA and then take the exam. Nope! You can’t do that. After 4 months, you lose your CAN status and cannot work. You have to wait to be employed until you take the exam and pass it. Then you can be employed as an STNA.

 

Also, to maintain your STNA certification you must work at least 8 hours every 2 years in a LONG TERM Care Facility. The law is not stringent at the time of this writing, however it’s changed once before and those individuals not working in an LTCF had to stop working as an STNA, retake the course and retake the state test because they had not complied with the continuing education requirements.

 

So it’s best to just work those 8 hours every 2 years, obtain proof from the human resources department that you did this, and keep it in your files just in case the state registry questions your certification in the future.

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Criminal Background Checks and STNA Training

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

 

In order to begin STNA training in Ohio, you will have to pass a criminal background check.  A criminal background check is simply the process of finding out if the individual has been convicted of any crimes.  They are routinely performed before many employment opportunities, especially in health care fields. 

 

The process is very straightforward for enrollment in classes.  If you have lived in Ohio for more than 3 years,   your fingerprints will be scanned and submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, a division of the Ohio Attorney General’s office.  BCI maintains the statewide Automated Fingerprint Identification System which catalogs the millions of fingerprints from all the law enforcement offices throughout the state. Every time someone is arrested in Ohio, their fingerprints are taken and submitted to the AFIS database. If you have lived in another state, a request will be submitted to that state (or states) for them to check their databases for any criminal history. A report is then issued to the school or employer, typically in about 10 days.

 

Finding a criminal record does not necessarily preclude training or employment.  Certain factors are taken in consideration:  your age when you committed the offense; the type and severity of the offense (misdemeanor, felony, etc.); how much time has passed since the offense occurred; whether you are currently on probation; if the offense was related to employment; and if there is a history of committing offenses.

 

Certain offenses will prevent enrollment in STNA training and even employment for particular lines of work. Those with sexual offenses will not be hired at schools or hospitals. In addition, committing an employment-related offense (such as stealing from your job) will make it difficult to find employment at many places in the future.

 

What should you do if you have a criminal conviction on your record but want to pursue a career as an STNA?  First of all, be honest and upfront about the situation with your training center staff.  Talk to the director of admissions and explain the circumstances surrounding any conviction.

 

Finally, if you only have one conviction, it has been more than one year, and you completed any terms of probation successfully, you may want to consider having the record expunged.   Some types of offenses cannot be expunged, like DUIs, sexual offenses, or serious felonies.  But a successful expungement wipes your record clean.  It will not appear in a standard background check and you are not required to disclose it on applications.  However, even if you have a conviction expunged, it’s still a good idea to make sure your director of admissions is aware of the situation, but it will make starting your career easier.

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Getting Fit for the STNA

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

 

Being a State-Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) is often a tough, physically-demanding job. At our STNA training classes in Ohio, we emphasize to our students that they need to take the time to get physically fit. Many working STNAs must assist patients get in and out of bed, must roll patients over, and may have to lift them out of a wheelchair onto a toilet seat and back. This type of work can take a toll on your back, your legs, and your arms.

 

Here are the top three strength-training exercises as reported by survey of personal trainers from across the country. Do these exercises regularly and you will be better prepared for the physical demands of being a STNA.

 

Most personal trainers select squats as the number one strengthening exercise for professions like STNAs. Squats work your butt, thighs, hamstrings, and calves all at the same time. To do a squat correctly, stand with feet hip-width apart, toes facing straight ahead or turned slightly outward. Slowly bend your knees, keeping your spine straight and abs pulled in tight. Do not let your knees bend beyond your toes, then slowly straighten your legs. Do this up-and-down motion 10 to 15 times, slowly, taking a deep breath each time you go down and exhaling as you stand, every other day.

 

The second exercise personal trainers recommend, and the one many people dread, is the push-up. But push-ups, like squats, are very effective. In one compact move, you can work all the muscles in your chest, shoulders, triceps, back and abs. There are lots of variations, but here’s how to do the basic push-up. Position yourself face down on the floor, balancing on your toes/knees and hands. Your hands should be wider than shoulders, body in a straight line from head to toe. Don’t sag in the middle and don’t stick your butt up in the air. Bend your arms and slowly lower your body toward the floor, stopping when your elbows are at 90 degrees. Exhale and push back up. You should do as many as you can until your muscles are fatigued every other day.

 

Another great exercise for women is arm curls. Ideally, you should have a three to five-pound weight. Hold the weight in your hand and hold your arm out away from your body and bend slightly at the hips. Slowly bend your elbow, tightening the bicep muscle as tight as you can. Control the weight as you straighten your elbow. Do this exercise first with one arm, then the other. Then put the weight back into your first hand and reach your arm out behind you. Now bend your elbow and push back, tightening the triceps on the back of your arms as tight as you can. Do as many repeats as you can, then switch to the other arm. You should try to do some arm curls every day.

 

Even with a busy schedule of STNA classes, clinicals, studying, and home life, you should try to make time to incorporate these five exercises two to three times a week will help strengthen your muscles and bones to make you better prepared for your career as a STNA.

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What are Clinicals?

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Clinicals are an important part of STNA training in Ohio.  They give STNA students real-life experiences in handling the duties they will handle in their working life.

 

Clinicals are supervised sessions conducted in real healthcare environments, like a nursing home, hospital, or clinic, which allow STNA students to put their knowledge and skills to work. STNA clinicals are like mini-internships and they are a critical part of the STNA training in Ohio.  Clinicals allow the STNA student to deal with real patients in a supervised setting before being thrust into real situations without instructors or supervising nurses to step in and assist.

 

During clinicals, the STNA will be assigned to work with patients with a variety of different needs.  They usually work closely with a supervising nurse or trainer, and occasionally with doctors, and other health care providers. The STNA students are rotated through a variety of settings, from intensive care wards to nursing homes to outpatient clinics, so that they get to interact with a wide variety of patients, and to see a broad spectrum of health care interventions and situations.  They get hands-on experience at assisting patients with bathing and feeding, taking vital statistics, observing patients and reading charts.

 

Before being allowed to participate in the clinicals, STNA students must complete a portion of training in the classroom.  This is where they gain the general knowledge of what needs to be done in a medical situation.  This knowledge encompasses everything from common first aid, to dietary and medication basics, to how to provide basic hygiene assistance,and even how to react in specific medical situations.  The classroom will also address the ethical issues STNA students  may encounter in the course of the work. Students are often given an opportunity to work in lab environments, and to “treat” actors or fellow classmates who volunteer to be model patients.

 

In addition to being used to provide educational opportunities, clinicals are also used by the STNA teachers to evaluate their students. Students are expected to thoroughly research their patients, apply all their knowledge, and be prepared to answer questions relating to patient care, the history of the individual patient, and other issues. Supervisors will also observe the way in which the STNA student interacts with the patient; for example, is the student unfriendly or rough, even though the medical care is adequate? These types of observations are used to guide the student, and to determine final grades.

 

For STNA students, nursing clinicals can be intense, because they provide the first opportunity to interact with real patients, and to make decisions which could have very real consequences. Students should remember that they are there to learn, and they should never be afraid to say that they don’t understand something, or don’t feel comfortable performing a procedure without assistance or direction.  It is a critical and necessary part of STNA training in Ohio.

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The STNA and CPR

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Like other medical professionals, a State-Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) must achieve and maintain a certification in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). This is a common first-aid technique used to keep victims of heart failure alive and prevent brain damage until more advanced medical intervention can be given. Our STNA training in Ohio teaches our students how to properly administer CPR and save lives.

CPR has two main goals: to keep the blood flowing and to keep air going in and out of the lungs.

If you find a patient who may potentially be in cardiac arrest or unconscious, the first step is to call 911 for additional help. Once help is on the way, check for a pulse. The STNA classes in Ohio show students all the proper techniques for accurately determining whether or not the patient is breathing or has a pulse.

To begin CPR, the victim must be lying on his or her back on a flat surface. Then you begin with the ABCs of CPR. Developed by the American Heart Association, the ABCs are:

Airway

The mouth and throat need to be clear and unobstructed before any CPR can be given. To clear a blocked airway, you should first place the palm of your hand across the victim’s forehead and push down gently. With the other hand, slowly lift the chin forward and slightly up. Move the chin up until the teeth are almost together, but the mouth is still slightly open.

Tilting the head back and lifting the chin in this manner will move the tongue out of the airway. At this point, you will check again for breathing. If the victim is choking on something, you may see their chest heave as they try to breathe, but you won’t be able to feel or hear air being exhaled. If that happens, you may need to compress the abdomen with forceful thrusts or manually dislodge any object with your fingers.

Once this is done, you have to check for signs of breathing again. Just clearing out the windpipe may sometimes be enough to allow the victim to start breathing on their own. If the victim starts breathing and moving around on their own, you should stop CPR. If this doesn’t happen, you’ll have to help them breathe, by providing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Breathing

Lungs have one main function: remove carbon dioxide and take in oxygen. Normally, the muscles in your chest contract and expand your chest cavity, allowing your lungs to fill with air. Oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse across the immense surface area of your lungs. Finally, your chest muscles relax, and you exhale.

Rescue breathing uses your lungs to force air into the victim’s lungs at regular intervals. The timing of each breath (about 1.5 to 2 seconds per breath) mimics normal breathing. However, the process is much more like blowing up a balloon than real breathing. You inhale deeply, form a tight seal with your mouth over their mouth, and exhale strongly to push air out of your mouth into theirs. Because you also pinch the victim’s nostrils closed, the air has nowhere to go except down into the lungs, which expand as they fill with air.

Mouth-to-mouth breathing is hard work. Normally, when you inhale, the chest muscles drive the process. In artificial respiration, you’re working against the victim’s relaxed chest muscles. When the chest muscles are relaxed, the chest cavity is small, keeping the lungs in a deflated state. As a rescuer, you have to exhale forcefully into the victim’s mouth for 1 to 2 seconds to overcome this resistance. As the lungs fill with air, the victim’s chest is pushed up at the same time; you can actually see it rise. When you remove your mouth from the victim’s and break the air seal, their chest falls and once again deflates the lungs. As in normal breathing, this results in air being exhaled from the victim’s mouth.

Circulation

After giving two full breaths, if you can’t find a pulse, then you need to provide artificial circulation in addition to breathing.

External chest compressions are used to provide artificial circulation. When you apply rhythmic pressure on the lower half of the victim’s breastbone, you force the heart to pump blood. There is a precise timing you must follow to adequately administer chest compressions. Our 3-hour CPR for STNA training classes in Ohio teach you exactly what to do.

Once you have been trained, you must periodically review the procedure. But this training makes you a valuable asset to your family, friends, and neighborhood for years to come.

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What Are the Typical Duties of a STNA?

Monday, April 5th, 2010

A state-tested nursing assistant (STNA), by definition, assists other medical professionals, like doctors, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses, with patient care. Most STNAs work in health care facilities, such as hospitals or nursing homes. However, a growing number of STNAs are providing care to patients in their homes as home health care workers.

 

The STNA is often the person with the most one-on-one interaction with the patient and is the first to discover any health issues the patient may be experiencing. It is a position of great responsibility in the healthcare of a patient. The STNA training in Ohio teaches nursing assistants how to be successful with many of the following skills:

 

1. Personal Hygiene
One of the most common responsibilities of a STNA is taking care of a patient’s daily personal hygiene needs. This may include assisting the patient with going to the bathroom, brushing his or her teeth, changing clothes, and brushing the patient’s hair. The STNA is also often charged with the task of making sure the bedding is changed regularly and the patient is not developing bed sores. Because of these types of duties, a STNA must be in good physical condition.  It can be a physically challenging role.

 

2. Proper Diet
Making sure the patients maintain a healthy diet is also an important task for the STNA. In cases where the patient cannot feed themselves, the STNA will be expected to feed them. In cases of finicky eaters, the STNA is the one charged with trying to make sure the patient is getting proper nutrition and recording what has been eaten each day so the doctors or nurses can determine if other sources of nutrients are needed.

 

3. Vital Signs
The STNA is often the person who takes and records the regular vital signs for the patient, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration statistics. The STNA is trained to look at the results, note any irregularities or surrounding conditions, and point out potential issues to the rest of the medical team.

 

4. Emotional Support
But probably the most important task of the STNA is to provide emotional support and encouragement to the patient and the family. Many times, the patient just needs to know that someone cares. The ability to provide a friendly smile, a kind word, and just being able to listen to the patient are vital skills for every STNA.

 

Top-notch STNA training in Ohio can be found here at Premier Choice Health Services.  Call us today to get registered and get started on your new exciting career.

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Keep Your Patients Active

Monday, March 29th, 2010

It is extremely important to keep your patients as active as possible.  During the STNA training in Ohio, students learn that activity improves and maintains physical and mental health for the patients.  Our training teaches students how to engage. Patients who are inactive may experience

  • Loss of self-esteem
  • Depression
  • Boredom
  • Pneumonia
  • Urinary Tract Infections
  • Constipation
  • Blood clots
  • Dulling of the senses

 Meaningful activities help promote independence, memory, self-esteem, and quality of life. Physical activity can also help manage disease states, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Regular activity can also:

  • Lessen the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and obesity
  • Relieve symptoms of depression
  • Improve mood and concentration
  • Improve bodily functions
  • Lower the risk of falls
  • Improve sleep quality
  • Improve the patient’s ability to cope with stress
  • Increase energy
  • Increase appetite and promote better eating habits.

 Many facilities have an activity department that encourages residents to socialize and to be physically and mentally active. Activities such as exercise, arts and crafts, games, reading, gardening, and religious events are regularly scheduled and patients are encouraged to participate to the best of their physical and mental abilities. These activities are often a regular part of daily schedules and are usually posted in conspicuous places throughout a facility.

While encouraging residents to be active, you must also be respectful of their wishes. Some residents may simply not want to participate. Ask them why they do not want to participate and respect that feeling, rather than treating them like a child, which is embarrassing and demeaning.

  • The resident may not want to participate because he or she does not know how to do the activity and they don’t want to be embarrassed. Removed from the group, patiently teach them what they need to know about the activity.
  • Offer an alternative activity.

The goal is to keep patients as healthy and active as possible.

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Working with Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Alzheimer’s Disease, or AD, is one of the most common causes of dementia in the elderly and more than half of nursing home patients in the US may have it, or a related disorder. AD causes tangled nerve fibers and protein deposits to form in the brain, which eventually cause dementia. The disease progressively gets worse, causing greater and greater loss of health and abilities.

Symptoms of AD appear gradually and tend to start with memory loss. Patients tend to become disoriented and start to lose their communication abilities. Mood and behavior change, leading to aggressiveness, wandering, and withdrawal. Eventually, the patient loses all ability to care for himself or herself.

When working with a patient with AD, in addition to helping the resident continue to do things for himself or herself, which can slow AD’s progression, there are things you can do to make it easier to work with a resident with this frustrating and debilitating condition.

  • Do not take their behavior personally.
  • Treat residents with AD with dignity and respect, as you would want to be treated.
  • Work with the symptoms and behaviors you see.
  • Work as a team.
  • Encourage communication.
  • Take care of yourself.
  • Work with family members.
  • Follow the goals of the resident care plan.

When communicating with the patient,

Do not startle the patient. Always approach from the front.

  • Determine how close the resident wants you to be.
  • Speak slowly in a calm, low voice, preferably in a room that has little background noise.
  • Always identify yourself and use the resident’s name.
  • Repeat yourself as often as needed.
  • Use signs, pictures, gestures, or written words, if needed.
  • Break complex tasks into smaller, simpler ones, giving simple step-by-step instructions when needed.

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Standard Infection Control Procedures

Monday, November 30th, 2009

As a nursing assistant, you will need to be vigilant at all times about taking certain precautions to prevent the spread of infection. Standard precautions include the following:

Wearing gloves. In the of duty, you will come into contact with blood, bodily fluids, and secretions, broken skin (abrasions, acne, cuts, stitches, or staples), or mucous membranes (linings of the mouth, nose, eyes, vagina, rectum, and penis). You may be involved in mouth care, bathroom assistance, perineal care, or helping with a bedpan, urinal, or other containers for bodily fluids.

Wash your hands frequently. You will wash your hands before putting on gloves and immediately after removing them. Be careful not to touch clean objects with used gloves.

Remove gloves immediately after finishing a procedure.

Immediately wash all skin surfaces that have been contaminated with blood and bodily fluids.

Wear a disposable gown if you may come into contact with blood or other fluids.

Wear a mask and protective goggles if you may have come into contact with splashing or spraying blood or bodily fluids.

Wear gloves and use caution when handling razor blades, needles, or other sharp objects.

Never attempt to cap needles or other sharp objects. Instead, dispose of them in an approved container.

Avoid nicks and cuts. Always be careful when shaving residents.

Carefully bag all contaminated supplies. Dispose of them according to your facility’s policy.

Clearly label all bodily fluids that are being saved for a specimen with the resident’s name and a biohazard label. Keep them in a container with a lid.

Dispose of contaminated wastes according to your facility’s policy.

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Barriers to Communication

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

One of the most important, and most challenging, aspects of your career as a nursing assistant will be communication. Unfortunately, communication with your residents can be blocked in several ways.

Resident does not hear you, does not hear correctly, or does not understand. The best thing you can do in this situation is to face the resident directly and speak at a slower pace. Speak clearly and do not mumble.

Resident is difficult to understand. Be patient and take the time to listen to what the resident is saying. Politely ask your resident to repeat or explain. Restate the message in your own words to ensure that you heard correctly.

Message contains words that the receiver does not understand. Do not use medical jargon with residents. Use simple and clear language that can easily be understood.

Do not use slang words and do not curse. Slang can confuse the message and is not always easily understood, plus it is considered unprofessional. Do not curse or use profanity, even if the resident does.

Avoid cliches. These are overused words and phrases that doesn’t actually have meaning. Instead, listen to what is actually being said and respond with a meaningful message.

Giving advice is inappropriate. Giving advice or opinions is outside of your realm of expertise as a nursing assistant, is inappropriate, and can be dangerous.

Asking “why” makes residents feel defensive.

Asking yes/no questions are conversation killers. Rather than asking a resident if they slept well, try asking, “how did you sleep last night?”

Get to know your residents and respect what they want/don’t want to talk about.

Culture can also affect conversation. These are learned behaviors that are influenced by outside sources, such as a person’s background, values, and language.

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