Assisting Patients

• Nursing assistants are responsible for assisting patients with activities of daily living such as shaving, bathing, toileting and eating.
  
  

Monitoring Patients

• NAs, particularly those who are employed in hospitals, are often called upon to monitor patients' vital signs or to record readings from monitoring equipment.
  
  

Basic Medical Function

• Nursing assistants may perform very basic procedures such as changing non-sterile dressings or assisting patients with therapeutic exercise or skin care.
  
  

Housekeeping Functions

• Nursing assistants may help with sterilization and set-up of equipment in hospitals or large medical centers. They are also typically responsible for making patients' beds daily.
  
  

Documentation

• NAs must document the care that is provided for patients as required in treatment plans. Some patients, for example, must have all food they consume recorded in their charts.