Temporary Nursing Aide
Temporary nursing aides are helpers for registered nurses providing untiring services in hospitals and nursing care homes. For years nurses and paramedical staff has dedicated lives to sick and frail patients. There are different types of nurses that are specialized for different patients (mental health, etc.).
Though government institutes keep records of the demand and supply of health professionals, abnormal conditions such as epidemics and pandemics can lead to serious shortages of medical staff.
The untimely advent of Coronavirus took aback the world. Hundreds of thousands have succumbed to life at hands of this lethal virus while millions are still fighting for their lives. A large number of paramedical staff members are allocated for COVID-19 patients. The irony is that the number of COVID patients continues to soar while the staff numbers are falling short.
To overcome this plightful circumstance, a temporary nursing aid can come to help. A temporary nursing aide, as the name indicates is contract-based assistance for nurses. Individuals with temporary nursing aid certification can provide services along with registered nurses.
Job Description: Temporary Nursing Aide
A temporary nursing aid can provide health services to nurses. Services are provided to the following type of patients:
Chronically Ill Patients
People suffering from chronic ailments require medical attention for the long term. Patients with persistent diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (cardiac arrhythmia, etc.) need nursing care.
In case of a shortage of nursing care homes and home care services, such as that during the COVID-19 pandemic, temporary nursing aid can provide healthcare services. Officially certified temporary nursing aides can help chronically ill patients in performing daily activities such as bathing, using the loo, changing clothes, etc.
Terminally III Patients
End-of-life services are very important for terminally ill patients. This category includes cancer patients and people suffering from end-stage renal, and respiratory failure. The main aim of nursing services is to make the last days of the patient easier and more pleasant.
Some patients opt to live in nursing homes while many stay in the comfort of their homes and take help from home nursing services. A temporary nursing aide can perform the role of a home nurse for a terminally ill patient
Geriatric Patients
Very old and senile members of the household constantly need someone to look after them. In the busy schedules of the children, it is impossible to look for your old parents every single step. The greatest enemy of the weak and frail parents is falling which can be avoided if someone looks after them. Therefore, for such services, you can hire a temporary nursing aid.
Though it is the job of an official nurse, however, COVID-19 has brought us to a severe shortage of nurses and paramedics. In such conditions, average people with low to minimum medical background knowledge can come forward and make a living for themselves
Paralysed Patients
Partially paralyzed patients or patients who have fallen into complete comatose need an attendant. This attendant is supposed to look after the basic needs of the patient such as changing clothes, sheets, bathing, and washing the patient.
A temporary nursing aid can play a part in taking care of a paralyzed or a comatose patient.
Activities Performed By A Temporary Nursing Aide
A temporary nursing aid is not an individual entity rather a subordinate to the registered nurse who is allowed to work only under the supervision of a registered nurse. The main aim is to lower the stress of the healthcare worker.
There is a wide variety of roles that a temporary nursing aid can perform under the supervision of a nurse. The majority of the activities performed by a nursing aid are not very technical and can be performed after taking the online course. Some of the roles played by a temporary nursing aid are mentioned below:
Dressing
Themain chore a temporary nursing aid performs is dressing and undressing. Patients with debilitating conditions often find it difficult to dress and undress. A temporary nursing aid can help the patient in changing clothes.
Washing And Cleaning
All sorts of cleaning can be performed by a temporary nursing aid. A certified nursing aid must take care of the oral health of the patient that includes brushing the teeth, etc. In addition to this, the nursing aid can also bathe the patient and impart shaving and nail care.
Nutrition And Diet
The nursing aid is also entitled to look after the diet and nutrition of a patient. Chronic patients such as diabetics and renal failure patients must follow a doctor-guided diet. The temporary nursing aid keeps track of the diet and calories of the patient, thereby, providing the patient and nurse peace of mind.
Infection Control
As the temporary nursing aid is laced with medical knowledge as well, these professionals take steps to prevent the development of infection in the patients. This may include cleaning sheets with antiseptics and looking after bedsores, oral ulcers, etc.
Restorative Care
Changing the positions of a bed-ridden patient is ultimately important. This is to avoid bedsores and infections. A temporary nursing aid must continuously move and reposition the paralyzed/comatose patient while imparting restorative care to the patient.
Looking after the patient’s condition is also a temporary nursing aid’s duty. A temporary nursing aid is aware of the morbidity of the patient and treats him/her accordingly.
End Of Life Care
A temporary nursing aid must also provide comfort care to patients living their last days. End-of-life care is specialized health care that nurses provide to terminally ill patients. The same services are provided by the temporary nursing aids.
How To Become A Temporary Nursing Aide?
As of March 2020, The American Health Care Association has created an online training course for a temporary nursing aid training program.
In order to become a temporary nursing aid, you need to take this online training course and associated skills competency test designed by the American Health Care Association. The following states certify you as a temporary nursing aid after an 8-hour online training course:
Additional Training Course
However, some states allow temporary nursing aids to work only after additional training (more than an 8-hour training course). These states include:
● Virginia
The state of Oklahoma requires a 16-hour course, contrary to the 8-hour course to become a temporary nursing aid.
A temporary nursing aid is different from a nursing assistant with the latter being a proper healthcare designation while the former being a requirement of emergency/pandemic condition. An 8 or 16-hour online course ensures the provision of a temporary nursing aid certificate and not a nursing assistant certificate.
Expired Program
The temporary nursing aid program has expired in the state of Illinois. So, temporary nursing aid professionals can not work in the state of Illinois.
Ideal Candidates
The following students are deemed ideal to enroll in the temporary nursing aid program:
Anyone can apply for this course, however, the ideal candidates are those having background knowledge of nursing and healthcare.
Temporary Nursing Aide Certification
To acquire this certification, candidates are required to pass the final assessment that comprises multiple questions. The successful candidate must have correctly answered 40 out of the 50 questions to be certified as a temporary nursing aid.
The passing of the final test ensures entitlement of a temporary nursing aid certificate that the candidate can give to their potential employers for work. A temporary nursing aid course does not require you to have medical knowledge pre-hand. You can work fine, once you have undertaken the course and the final assessment.
Temporary nursing aids can choose between nursing homes or hospital facilities to work in. The nursing aids can submit their online course certification to the respective institute and provide aid to the over-burdened nurses.
How Long Does Temporary Nursing Aide Certificate Last?
Temporary nursing aid certificates are suitable only for pandemic conditions where there is a shortage of nurses and paramedical staff. The additional burden on the nurses is met by the allocation of temporary nursing aids (especially during duty shifts).
Certification Expiration
The certificates are valid only until the pandemic situation lasts. These certificates last until there is a public health emergency in place. The temporary nursing aid certificates expire on April 21, 2021.
How Much Temporary Nursing Aide Makes?
The money made by nursing assistants and temporary nursing aid varies between facilities and individuals. However, on average these nursing aids can make anywhere between 26 to 58 thousand dollars annually.
The demand for temporary nursing aids increases exponentially in times of pandemic and medical emergencies. Therefore, a higher limit is expected during pandemic times.
What If I Want to Convert Temporary Nursing Aide Certification?
You can convert from a temporary nursing aide that serves only during exceptional times to a certified nursing assistant by taking an emergency nursing aide training program and at least 75 hours of training.
The 8 or 16-hour training acquired during the temporary nursing aid program course can be counted in the 75-hour minimum requirement for nursing assistant certification.
Conclusion
Temporary nursing aide are individuals who have received an 8 or 16-hour training course and passed the final assessment. This type of aid is needed in times of medical emergencies and pandemics (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic). A temporary nursing aid performs helps the patient in performing different basic chores including washing, bathing, changing, and infection control, etc. It is a noble profession that allows you to make a handsome fortune too.