After CNA Training
There are many aspects of a CNA’s job description you will learn about during CNA training. For many CNAs, employment is completely hands-on; they work with patients directly in an effort to provide them with the care they need for daily life. For others who have completed CNA training, duties in the workplace may vary with a mixture of hands-on tasks like feeding, bathing, or taking vital signs and office-related duties like answering phones, filing, and making copies.
While CNA training mainly focuses on teaching you how to perform direct-care duties, it is important to understand how to handle other tasks you may be required to perform while on the job. In the following article, we will discuss a few of the office-related duties you may be asked to do and how to perform them correctly.
Continued CNA Training: Handling Office Tasks
Answering Phones
It seems simple, right? The phone rings, you answer it, you respond politely to the caller, and you take a message. Unfortunately, even the simplest tasks can be difficult if you don’t know what you are doing after CNA training.
Before you pick up that phone, consider these tips.
- In some nursing homes, those who have undergone CNA training are required to answer the phone if it rings and no nurse is present to answer it. Your workplace may have this rule as well, however, you should never leave a resident unattended to answer a phone. If you are busy, let someone else get it.
- If you do need to answer the phone after CNA training, either because you are not busy with a resident or you work in a doctor’s office and it is part of your job description, answer it as quickly as possible. Don’t keep the caller waiting; you never know if you are dealing with an emergency.
- When you answer the phone after CNA training, identify your location, give your name, and make an offer to assist the person. For instance, you may say, “Hello, Dr. Peterson’s Office, this is Angela speaking. How may I help you today?”
- If the caller wants to talk about a patient, write down the information given, but do not provide the caller with any information he or she is not authorized to know.
- If the caller needs to speak to someone who is not available at the moment, always ask to take a message. Write it down, and ask for the caller’s name, phone number, and a description of what the caller needs. If it’s an emergency, locate the person the caller needs immediately. If not, simply make sure the individual receives the message as soon as possible.
Copying and Filing After CNA Training
Handling patient files may be one of the tasks you are expected to perform after CNA training, and it must done with the utmost of care. Whether the files are on a computer or in print, they hold confidential information about a patient’s medical and personal history that you must take steps to protect. Here are just a few tips for ensuring the safety of this information.
- Never leave any files out in the open where they can be picked up and looked through by anyone passing by. If they aren’t put away, make sure they are by your side at all times. The same can be said for computer records. When you are away from the computer, you should lock the screen so anyone wishing to use the computer must enter a password first.
- Information on a patient’s medical situation is provided to CNAs after CNA training on a need-to-know basis. So, if you don’t need to know it, don’t go snooping for it. This violates your patient’s right to privacy.
- If you do happen to see something in a file while you are filing or making copies, keep it to yourself. It shouldn’t be part of the latest gossip in the break room.
- After CNA training, never provide anyone with a patient’s medical info, a file, or a copy of any records who is not authorized to know the information. If a family member, nurse, or even a doctor asks for a patient’s records, speak to your head nurse and make sure it is okay.
After CNA training, you will be expected to perform a variety of duties on the job. Whether you need to perform direct-care for patients or office-related tasks, make sure you know how to do so correctly after CNA training.
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