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Job Description: Civilian nursing aides perform numerous tasks which contribute to the comfort and welfare of patients. They work under the close supervision of professional nurses and physicians. They may also be called nursing assistants, orderlies, or hospital attendants. Those who work in nursing homes may be called geriatric nurse assistants. Those who work in mental health facilities may be called psychiatric aides. In a related occupation, individuals who work with patients in their homes are called personal and home care aides.

The military provides medical care to all men and women in the services. Medical care technicians work with teams of physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals to provide treatment to patients. They help give patients the care and treatment required to help them recover from illness or injury. They also prepare rooms, equipment, and supplies in hospitals and medical clinics.

Duties: Civilian nursing aides perform routine duties related to hospital patient care such as:

• Assisting patients in personal care and feeding
• Answering signal lights or the intercom system to determine needs of the patient
• Serving and collecting food trays
• Turning and repositioning bedfast patients to prevent bedsores
• Assisting the doctor in draping patients for examination, putting on casts, holding medical instruments, and adjusting lights
• Cleaning instruments and equipment
• Observing patients and recording vital signs
• Bathing, shampooing, and shaving patients as directed
• Changing linens and making up beds
• Handling patients' requests
• Setting up oxygen equipment
• Monitoring patients' nutritional (intake) and elimination (output) indicators

For detailed information on tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, work activities, work contexts, job zones, interests, work styles, work values, and related occupations visit the O*Net Online, a division of the National Center for Occupational Information.

Military medical care technicians may perform some or all of the following duties:

• Provide bedside care in hospitals, including taking the body temperature, pulse, and respiration rate of patients
• Feed, bathe, and dress patients
• Prepare patients, operating rooms, equipment, and supplies for surgery
• Make casts, traction devices, and splints according to physicians' instructions
• Give medication to patients under the direction of physicians and nurses

Working Conditions: Nursing aides work in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers, home health care, and clinics. Most aides work a standard 40-hour week but may have to alternate shifts as well as work weekends and holidays. Nursing aides are subject to back injuries when moving or lifting patients. Some patients that are being cared for are sometimes confused, irrational, and uncooperative.

Military medical care technicians work in hospitals and clinics to assist qualified orthopedic physicians. Assistants must be able to interact with patients on a regular basis. This requires patience, empathy, and genuine concern for their care.

Educational Requirements: Although there are no formal educational requirements for this occupation in many instances, employers increasingly seek applicants with a high school diploma and related health training. Informal training in nursing homes and clinics may provide on-the-job training consisting of orientation, home nursing care, long-term patient care, equipment monitoring and usage. Training may also be offered in adult education programs. Most of these programs last approximately six weeks. They are designed to prepare students to provide basic nursing care to a variety of patients. The first two weeks of training are conducted in classrooms and laboratories; and the final four weeks involve hands-on experience with patients. Skills include bathing, grooming, taking vital signs, and communicating. A physical examination, background information disclosure form, and criminal history record may be required.

Formal programs offer classroom training and supervised clinical experience leading to licensure as a certified nursing aide or CNA. In Tennessee, the Nurse Aide Training (NAT) Test is part of the certification requirement to become a CNA. Federal regulations require that a student complete a state-certified training program or test challenge and pass the NAT Test to work as a CNA. For a list of all State of Tennessee approved training programs visit the Tennessee Department of Health online. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Health Science Education Curriculum Standards online.

Military job training consists of 7 to 52 weeks of classroom instruction, including practice in patient care. Training length varies depending on specialty. Course content may include patient care techniques; emergency medical techniques; methods of sterilizing surgical equipment; and plaster casting techniques. Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses.

Outlook: The estimated number of nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants in Tennessee is 27,830. It is projected there will be an increase of 24 percent in this occupation through the year 2012 with 1,020 job openings annually. For additional information on this occupation, visit the nationally recognized Occupational Outlook Handbook online.

The military services have about 10,000 medical care technicians. On average, they need about 500 new technicians each year. For more information, visit Today's Military online.

Military service: Military medical care technicians are enlistees in the Navy, Air Force, Army, and the Coast Guard.

Salary

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website

For an explanation of salary data please visit acinet.org

Last updated on: January 22, 2008