There are a number of instructional materials available to assist nursing assistant students develop their technical skills outside of the classroom. These instructional materials usually include manuals and DVDs. The information in the manuals and workbooks is reinforced by the activities on the DVD. A CNA student can review the material that is provided in the manual and complete the workbook exercises and then have the DVD as a visual reference for learning how to physically perform nursing assistant duties. This is a very advantageous way to continue studying your techniques outside of the clinical environment.

Most of the instructional DVD’s focus on specific skill sets individually. This makes it easier for a nursing assistant student to review the topics. The use of instructional DVDs provides the student with the convenience of reviewing and replaying certain techniques more as often as one would like until that particular technique is understood. Likewise, most instructional DVD’s provide graphics and explanations while the subjects in the DVD perform the different techniques. This also adds in understanding and retention of information.

Instructional DVD’s for nursing assistants usually are separated by topic. This is very convenient because the student will be able to follow along with the different techniques such as obtaining vital signs or proper skin care without having all the information placed together. This simplicity makes it a lot easier for knowledge to be absorbed. In addition, if the nursing student wants to review a specific technique or concept for an upcoming test the instructional DVDs are usually divided into topics either with separate DVD’s or the student can access the particular topic from the table of contents in the menu. DVDs make it so much more convenient for a CNA student to review techniques learned in class and continue learning at home.

Purchasing a certified nursing assistant DVD for personal or classroom instruction is an excellent way to reinforce the concepts and techniques learned via books and clinical instruction. The DVDs offer the student the ability and convenience of continuing the learning process outside of the nursing assistant program which is important for perfecting the skills needed to become a certified nursing assistant.

The CNA training DVD’s will go over the required Skills, generally broken down into descriptions and examples of the proper way to complete the following skills. They would include basic care duties such as sanitation, moving patients or ambulation, applying dressings or stockings, and general patient care such as dressing, feeding, cleaning, etc.

Other sections would deal with taking and recording a patient’s vital signs: breathing or respiration, pulse, their blood pressure, height & weight, etc.
Most of the DVD’s for CNA’s will have a section on legal issues that you may encounter.  This section addresses the real issues and descriptions that CNA’s face.  Legal guilt can result in fines and imprisonment, as well as loss of certification and license to work as a CNA.

These would include topics such as restraints, abuse, neglect, theft, and other situations and definitions that a caregiver must be aware of.

Since the CNA Certification Exam consists of a written exam and a practical exam, you would find videos showing how to give a complete bed bath and use bath supplies, doing a skin assessment, proper bedmaking, infection control considerations, body mechanics for proper positioning, movement, and full range-of-motion (R.O.M.) exercise.

In considering one of the CNA training DVD’s, you’ll want to keep in mind that requirements for a CNA differ from state to state, and that depending on the facility you work at, your duties and functions will also vary. The requirements for a home health care worker may be very different than what is necessary in a geriatric facility such as a nursing home, or even that for a hospital or acute-care facility.

Here you will find information on free CNA classes online, CNA training including the Red Cross CNA class,  information about CNA jobs including average CNA salary, as well as other resources to help you become a Nurse Assistant.

Nurse Assistant’s work in nursing homes, hospitals, adult day health centers, assisted living facilities, even personal homes. Wherever there is a need for personal care, Certified Nursing Assistants are the ones who, for the most part, perform the most basic needs for patients, young and old alike. They work under the supervision of a nurse. Since aides have extensive daily contact with each patient, they are key to providing vital information on the patients’ conditions to the nurse.

Working closely with patients, CNAs are responsible for basic care services such as bathing, grooming and feeding patients, assisting nurses with medical equipment, and checking patient vital signs. CNAs give patients important social and emotional support and also provide vital information on patient conditions to nurses.

We will be offering CNA training DVD’s shortly. These will include sample testing questions for cna exam, coursework and study guides, and more.

To some, being a Nursing Assistant is ‘just a job’. It pays the bills and nothing more. These people are easily recognizable in the workplace setting. This fact comes across through behaviors such as laziness and attitude problems. It’s the patients who suffer for some people’s wrong career choice.

The first step to becoming a CNA is finding a program suited to your needs. If you are applying at a heathcare facility offering free classes, be sure to check to ‘fine print’, as some facilities require that you commit to work for them for a certain length of time after you become certified. If you are hired at a healthcare facility, be prepared to submit to a background check (criminal) and a drug test. These are usually mandatory for all healthcare personnel.

At the end of the classes, you will be scheduled to take a State administered Test to become certified. Some places will allow you to work, upon completion of your CNA training, up to four months after classes without your certification.

If you’re interested in going further, perhaps pursuing an RN (Registered Nurse), LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), or BSN degree (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), you might want to visit Nursing School Programs where you’ll more find information about various online nursing degrees, accelerated nursing programs, and more.

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant can be one of the best decisions of your life, and lead to a fulfilling and financially rewarding health care career; we hope CNA Training Class can help!