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Career Colleges    » Virginia    » Health, Medical, and Nursing     » Nursing Assistant

Virginia Nursing Assistant Degrees

Nursing Assistant Degrees: Virginia Colleges

Looking for accredited career colleges, technical schools, and universities in Virginia offering Nursing Assistant degrees. A nursing assistant is also called an aide or attendant. In most states, you can complete training to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA) as long as you have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Virginia is a great state in which to go to college. Virginia college students enjoy close proximity to Washington, D.C., but also the opportunity to live in a more rural or suburban setting. Virginia is home to many colleges and universities. Virginia is still a surprisingly rural state, with tobacco as the primary cash crop. It was the birthplace of our nation, as the very first European settlement in North America was established at Jamestown in 1607. Virginia is a state of contrasts: not only do you have historic Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg, you also find the home of the Pentagon and of Mae East, the major East Coast internet hub. Whether you enjoy hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, wandering along its beaches, or enjoying a quiet dinner in its many fine restaurants, you are likely to find attending college in Virginia to be an excellent choice.

Virginia Colleges: Nursing Assistant Degrees

Patient care technicians: The human face of health care

Patient care technicians provide supervised care to patients in health care facilities such as hospitals or nursing homes. Patient care technicians may also be called attendants or nursing assistants. Training in patient care prepares you to carry out basic health care responsibilities such as taking vital signs and assisting with patient examinations.

Clinical job duties of a patient care technician may include:

• Administering medications or treatments
• Applying clean dressings, slings or support bandages
• Cleaning and sanitizing patient rooms and areas
• Collecting specimens for medical testing
• Assisting patients with hygiene and eating

You may also be required to position and lift patients, which requires knowledge of body mechanics and proper techniques.

Patient care education and training

Training is offered at vocational schools and community colleges. Patient care education programs typically include instruction in CPR and lab procedures. Other courses covered may include:

1. Body mechanics
2. Nutrition
3. Anatomy and physiology
4. Infection control
5. Resident rights

Patient care technician schools offer classroom study and practical training, which can prepare you for the certified nursing assistant examination. The federal government requires individuals working in nursing care facilities to complete a minimum of 75 hours of certified training and a competency evaluation. Your patient care technician training may also be a stepping-stone to further training as a licensed vocational or registered nurse or a physical or respiratory therapy assistant.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage for nursing and psychiatric aids, including patient care technicians, was $25,140 in 2010. Employment is projected to grow 18 percent between 2008 and 2018.

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