Chapter I: The Holistic Nursing Assistant

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the roles, responsibilities, legal requirements, and professional standards for Certified Nursing Assistants as outlined in Chapter I.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

A person who has successfully completed the education and training needed to take and pass a state certification competency examination.

Primary Role of a Nursing Assistant

Providing safe, quality care to both patients and residents by performing delegating nursing tasks under the supervision of a licensed nurse.

Job description

A document that includes duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of a particular position.

Scope of practice

Specific responsibilities, procedures, and actions determined by each state through its Nurse Practice Act.

Activities of daily living (ADLs)

Fundamental self-care tasks including bathing, grooming, dressing, eating, and toileting.

Ambulation

The act of walking.

Infection control

Practices such as hand hygiene and the use of PPE (personal protective equipment) to prevent the spread of pathogens.

Professional

A person who works in a specified activity that requires high standards of education, training, and ethics, such as a Registered Nurse.

Para-professional

A trained aide who assists a professional person, such as a Nursing Assistant (CNA).

OBRA (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act)

A $1987$ act that standardized the training requirements to become a CNA to ensure consistency and regularity.

Standardization

The process of maintaining consistency and regularity in requirements so all CNAs are reasonably expected to be similarly capable of performing tasks.

Health Care Worker Registry

A state-maintained database required by OBRA where CNAs must maintain an active status.

Health Care Worker Background Check Act (225 ILCS 46/)

An Illinois state law intended to protect frail citizens and persons with disabilities from possible harm through criminal background checks of health care workers.

Therapeutic Relationships

Relationships built on a foundation of trustworthiness, including maintaining confidentiality and ethical responsibility.

Verbal Communication

The exchange of information through spoken or written words.

Nonverbal Communication

Communication conveyed through gestures and body language.

Boundaries

Accepted or expected limits on behavior or actions.

Personal boundaries

Limits focused on protecting and taking care of oneself.

Professional boundaries

Limits specific to delivering care that separate helpful behaviors from nonhelpful behaviors.

Crossing boundaries

Brief, nonhelpful acts or behaviors that occur during care.

Violating boundaries

Acts or behaviors that meet the needs of the caregiver rather than the needs of those in their care.