Who is a Nurse Aide I in the State of North Carolina?
a valued, unlicensed member of the health care team, responsible for providing delegated nursing tasks within a defined range of function, for residents, in a variety of settings
- listed on the N.C. Nurse Aide I Registry
- aka nurse aide and nursing assistant
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA)
a federal law, enacted by Congress, in 1987, designed to improve quality of life of residents living in a nursing home environment
- one component of OBRA defines requirements for nurse aide training and competency evaluation
Range of Function for Nurse Aides
- North Carolina Board of Nursing Administrative Code = defines range of function for nurse aides in NC
- North Carolina Board of Nursing = provides list of tasks that fall within the range of function for nurse aides in NC
Regulatory Body for Nurse Aides
- North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry: a registry of all people who meet state and federal training and testing requirements to perform Nurse Aide I tasks in NC
- North Carolina Health Care Personnel Registry Section: section of the State of North Carolina that provides services for unlicensed health care workers, their employers, and their instructors; maintains NC Nurse Aide I Registry
Registry Listing Requirements
- individuals listed on the Nurse Aide I Registry upon passing the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP)
> written/oral examination
> demonstration of five skills - individuals may take the NNAAP exam upon completion of a state approved Nursed Aide I training program or by challenging the exam (up to three times)
Registry Listing Renewal
- listings are renewed through qualified work experience completed every 24 months
- must have worked a minimum of eight, paid hours during the 24-month listing period performing nursing or nursing related services supervised by an RN
- any nurse aide who does not work during the 24-month listing period, will be required to retake and pass the NNAAP exam
Registry Listing Renewal Responsibilities
- nurse aide should send in renewal listing form about three months prior to expiration date of listing
- requests for a Replacement Renewal Form may be found at www.ncnar.org
- nurse aid CANNOT work as a nurse aide if listing expires
- remember to promptly report changes in name or address to the registry
Key Websites for Nurse Aides
- North Carolina Board of Nursing: www.ncbon.org
- N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation: www.ncnar.org
Job Responsibilities of Nurse Aide
- perform delegated basic nursing and personal skills in a competent, caring manner
- use appropriate interpersonal skills
Delegation
process of assigning part of one’s responsibility to another qualified person in a specific situation; transferring responsibility for the performance of an activity or task while retaining accountability for the outcome
- improves efficiency and shows trust in others (but nurse is still accountable)
- nurses assesses knowledge/skills of the delegate and matches tasks to skills, using the 5 Rights of Delegation: (1) right task, (2) right circumstance, (3) right person, (4) right direction and communication, and (5) right supervision and evaluation
- decisions regarding delegation of any nurse aide activity is made by nurse on resident-by-resident basis
Basic Nursing Skills
essential skills required of nurse aide to deliver competent care to residents in health care settings like
- monitoring, documenting, and reporting of vital signs
- management of pain as directed by the nursing care plan
- application of warm/cold
- dressing changes
- privacy is key when providing these skills
Personal Care Skills
tasks that deal with a person’s body, appearance, and hygiene
- done on a daily basis (AM, PM, and in-between)
- each individual has their own preferences so stick to those!
- hygiene: keeping the bodies clean and healthy
- grooming: maintain the person’s appearance while fostering dignity and choice
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
hygiene + grooming + dressing + eating + transferring + toileting
When providing personal care, it is important to help and encourage residents to be as ______ as possible.
independent
While assisting with personal care needs, nurse aide can observe resident’s _______.
skin, mobility, comfort, and cognition
Interpersonal Skills
- ability to get along with others while getting the job done
- when caring for residents, nurse aide should empathize, anticipate needs, treat residents as unique individuals, display patience and tolerance while attempting to understand behavior, and be sensitive to resident’s moods
- effectively communicate with others
Infection Prevention
all of the things that people do to control and prevent the spread of infection
Infection
a disease or condition of the body that occurs when harmful germs get into the body and grow in number
> examples: UTI, skin infection, pneumonia, flu, common cold, food poisoning, stomach infection, etc.
> two types: localized and systemic
Localized Infection
an infection found in one part of the body and symptoms are limited to that one part of the body
> example: infected finger
Systemic Infection
an infection that affects an entire body part or whole body system
> respiratory infection
Symptoms of Respiratory Infection
- fever and chills
- sniffling and snorting
- coughing and sneezing
- hacking up globs of green or yellow, slimy mucous
Symptoms of Bladder Infection
- fever and chills
- pain when using bathroom
- bad or strong smelling urine, with possibly blood in it
Microorganisms
aka germs; live almost everywhere - both inside and outside the body; causes infections; requirements to survive:
- warmth
- moisture
- oxygen (aerobic) or not (anaerobic)
- tissue to feed on
examples: bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi
Medical Asepsis
aka clean technique; practices used to remove or destroy microorganisms and to prevent their spread from one person or place to another place or person
