Posts Tagged ‘Classes’

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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Why Should You be a Nursing Assistant?

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

Of all of the career options before you, why should you want to become a nursing assistant? For those who like to help others and want to work in the medical field, it can be an exciting and fulfilling career option. A Nursing assistant certificate can open doors to a variety of medical facilities, plus there is a high demand of skilled nursing assistants in the market, plus this profession can be extremely rewarding for someone wishing to make a difference in others’ lives by helping them.

Nursing assistants are the bridge between the patients and the medical staff, providing assistance to ensure the patients’ comfort. They also provide critical emotional support to the patients and their family. Nursing assistants prepare and maintain a report of the patients’ medical condition and vital signs, to which nursing staff refer while attending to patient. Nursing assistants also assist the nursing staff in setting up medical equipment and moving the patients whenever necessary. This job offers constant variety because things change daily – each day has its own set of challenges.

A nursing assistant’s job is challenging and it comes with many responsibilities, and it is a great choice for those who are passionate about helping others. Strong communication skills are also vital in this profession as you must communicate clearly and effectively with the patients and other medical staff at all times. Overall, being a nursing assistant allows you to touch the lives of many people and make a difference in the world.

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