Nursing Assistants

Nursing & Allied Health

Level 4447 of 1200 points

Job description

Nursing Assistants

Job purpose

To provide and assist with basic patient care under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff — monitoring health status, feeding, bathing, dressing and moving patients — so that patients' daily needs are met safely and with dignity and changes in their condition are reported.

Skills

Working knowledge of personal and basic nursing care: repositioning and transferring, washing, dressing, feeding and toileting. Enough medical understanding to spot symptoms warranting attention, such as open wounds or blood in urine, and to check dietary restrictions before feeding. Most hold a high school diploma, a substantial minority a post-secondary certificate, with one to two years of on-the-job training alongside experienced workers.
Communicates constantly with patients to establish their needs and give emotional support. Explains medical instructions to patients and family members, and reports behaviour, complaints and symptoms to nurses. Patience is needed with people in pain or unable to communicate.
Observes patients for symptoms that may require medical attention and judges what must be reported, and how urgently. Adapts handling to patients who are bedridden, comatose or paralysed. Clinical decisions rest with licensed staff and the care plan, so problems are well defined.
Organises a round of care across several patients so that repositioning, hygiene, meals and observations are completed, while call signals are answered as they arrive. Priorities are set by nursing staff and the care plan.
Lifts patients, and assists others to lift them, on and off beds, tables and stretchers; turns and repositions bedridden patients; supports them standing, walking and bathing; and exercises patients who are comatose or paralysed. Transports patients by wheelchair, stretcher and moveable bed. Safe manual-handling technique and two-person lifting are essential.

Responsibilities

No supervisory responsibility; all care is given under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Holds direct personal responsibility for the safety, hygiene and dignity of several dependent patients, and assists nurses and physicians in care and in operating medical equipment.
No budget, spending authority or handling of payments. Stocks or issues medical supplies and restocks patient rooms, but quantities and purchasing are set by others.
Everyday care of ward and patient-room equipment — beds, wheelchairs, stretchers, bedpans and linen — and of treating and testing equipment set up as directed, such as oxygen tents and portable radiograph equipment.
Records and reports the clinical observations on which nursing and medical decisions are built: temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rate, food and liquid intake and output. The data is confidential, and an omitted or misattributed entry can delay treatment. Content and format are set by nursing staff.

Effort required

Sustained alertness rather than analysis: watching several patients for changes in condition while carrying out physical care. Interruption is constant, and each record, diet and instruction must be attributed to the right patient.
Works in intimate bodily contact with people who are ill, dependent, incontinent or unconscious, in circumstances where dignity must be actively protected. Exposed daily to pain, distress and physical decline, and absorbs complaints from frightened patients while remaining calm.
Walking and standing for effectively the whole working day, with repeated lifting and transferring of adult patients, bending and twisting to wash, dress and make beds, and repetitive motions throughout. Loads are awkward and unpredictable because patients move.

Working conditions

An indoor, climate-controlled clinical environment with routine exposure to disease and infection and to bodily fluids and waste through emptying bedpans, collecting specimens and sanitising rooms and bathrooms; gloves, gowns and similar protective equipment are worn throughout, and ward noise is often distracting. Work is at close physical proximity to patients, and includes handling people who are unpleasant, angry or at times physically aggressive.
Most work a regular established schedule of about a standard working week, a minority irregular or seasonal patterns. Pace is set by patient need and the facility's routine, under time pressure, and decisions are frequent but bounded: care is given within the care plan, with anything beyond it referred to a nurse.

Skills

40% · 193 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 3 of 8
54 of 144 points
Knowledge of facts, principles and general ideas in a job area. The job requires a range of thinking and practical knowledge to do tasks and solve problems by choosing and using basic methods, tools, materials and information.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Effective communication and interpersonal relationships. The job holder is required to adapt communication to different audiences and foster trust, cooperation and positive working relationships.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 2 of 5
38 of 96 points
Standard problems. The job involves solving problems with defined alternatives. Some judgement is needed, but help is usually available.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 2 of 5
29 of 72 points
Basic organisational skills required. The job involves planning and organising one's own work within set deadlines. Some input into scheduling and prioritisation of tasks.
Physical skillsLevel 1 of 5
14 of 72 points
Minimal physical skills required. The job requires basic physical skills, such as handling light objects or using simple tools.

Responsibility

35% · 101 points▾

PeopleLevel 1 of 5
29 of 144 points
Very limited. Not required to supervise or perform a caregiving role. The job may involve providing basic guidance to or orientation for others, such as helping new colleagues settle in.
Goods and equipmentLevel 2 of 5
34 of 84 points
Some responsibility for goods or equipment. The job involves the use and maintenance of equipment or stock, and the job holder is responsible for ensuring resources are used appropriately and safely.
InformationLevel 2 of 5
38 of 96 points
Limited responsibility for information. The job requires the individual to gather, process or share information in a controlled way, following guidelines or predefined procedures.
Financial resourcesLevel 0 of 5
0 of 96 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any responsibility for financial resources.

Effort

15% · 96 points▾

Mental effortLevel 2 of 5
24 of 60 points
Moderate mental effort. The job involves tasks that require focus, such as analysing straightforward information or performing repetitive tasks that require attention to detail.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires the regular management of emotional responses, such as dealing with sensitive or challenging individuals or situations.
Physical effortLevel 3 of 5
29 of 48 points
Moderate physical effort. The job requires consistent physical effort, such as regular lifting of moderate weight, manual handling of materials, prolonged standing or walking or monotonous or repetitive hand/arm movements.

Working Conditions

10% · 57 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 3 of 5
50 of 84 points
Regular exposure to hazards or stress. The job requires regular exposure to physical hazards (e.g. exposure to chemicals, temperature extremes or minor risk of injury) or moderate psychological risks (e.g. isolation, repetitive tasks or occasional threats of violence). It may occur monthly or as a build-up of milder hazards.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.