Certified Nursing Assistant. These workers handle the physical, hands-on tasks of patient care in hospitals and long-term care facilities. They manage bathing, feeding, lifting, and vital signs, taking the brunt of the physical labor on a clinical shift.
Heard on the job
The new CNA on the night shift has a good handle on the lifting protocols.
Insider tip
Because they handle the heaviest physical work and the messiest cleanup, veteran nurses rely heavily on a good CNA to keep a ward running.