As a caregiver, a CNA or a HHA, it is important to understand, not only the hiring process for a caregiver, but better yet to understand what employers are looking for from their staff members.  We reached out to one of the biggest home healthcare  companies in the the United States, Bayada Home Health Care.   Bayada has been around for a little over 37 years, has over 250 offices, and over 18,000 caregiving employees nationwide.    Needless to  say these guys know a thing or two about choosing top notch personnel for their clients.

While talking to one of Bayada’s premiere client services managers, Barbara Wiseman, we were able to get a feel for what it is a company like Bayada is looking for in a potential employee.   While there were the obvious things caregivers must go through such as background checks, interviews, skills tests, written tests, and proof of experience prior to being hired, there was also a deep sense of values and morals that the company wanted to see in its caregivers.    In essence, it’s not enough to be qualified. A company like Bayada is looking for an employee that cares. When talking to Barbara, three values seemed to resonate again and again in the conversation.

• compassion
• excellence
• reliability

As far as Bayada is concerned  these three attributes are a must if you are going to be a part of their team.   We wanted to take this a step further and try to understand what it was about these three values that were so important that a company like Bayada uses them as “must haves” when considering an employee.   So we asked Bayada if we could interview one of their best caregivers in the field in hopes of seeing these three attributes in action.

They introduced us to one of there caregivers Ramona Glenn. She was all but too happy to spend some time with us.  We hoped that her advice could shed some light on what it is that her employers claim that she does so well.  She had two main tips for the caregivers out there who are really aspiring for greatness in their careers…

1. ”Try to do your best for your clients every day.”

2. ”Listen to what it is the client has to say.  You have to be compassionate; you have to have empathy; you have to truly listen and understand what the client has to say to you.  When you establish that ability of communication with a client, you take your care to a new level.  But again you have to have that patience, that caring, that concern, that love for your client.

It is a wonderful thing to work with people.  To be able to help someone, is one of the most rewarding things you can give yourself.  If you can help people that need help, you can really find a lot of value in your career.”

If you think you have what it takes to be a great caregiver, here is a checklist that can possibly help impress employers.

Check list for Best Practices for employment as a CNA, HHA, or Caregiver:

• Get CNA training, get HHA training, get experience as a caregiver (Volunteer if needed).
• Be proficient in your skills and your knowledge base (Practice Tests)
• Demonstrate Reliability (A must for all caregivers)
• Demonstrate your desire for excellence in patient care and your career
• Demonstrate your ability for compassion and empathy
• Be Professional, and be aggressive in your job search
• Be more then “qualified”, show that you can bring something more to the team

Alzheimer’s disease can affect the way a person thinks, how they feel, and how they behave, and caring for patients that suffer from the disease requires flexibility and patience. Whether you choose to use your CNA training to work in hospice, senior care facilities, or as an HHA, you will likely encounter quite a few patients during your career that struggle with Alzheimer’s. This trying illness causes people to behave in uncharacteristic ways at seemingly random times. For example, a patient may suddenly become irritated, suspicious, or extremely dependent at times, even though these traits were in no way part of his or her personality before developing Alzheimer’s.

Although these individuals can’t control or thwart these behaviors, they can cause a good deal of frustration and stress for their caregivers. The most important thing that you can do as a caregiver is something you must first do for yourself. You must come to the understanding that any actions or words of aggression that stem from an Alzheimer’s patient cannot be taken personally. Behavior troubles such as aggression, distrust, or wandering are caused by chemical reactions and damage to the brain, and they are not necessarily something that your patient can control or prevent. So, remember this when persons with Alzheimer’s do or say stuff that can be interpreted as insensitive.

Things to Consider with Agitated Patients and What you Can Do

1. An underlying issue such as pain, thirst, hunger, or an infection that has gone undiagnosed often causes agitation. You’ll want to try and discover the cause, and then take appropriate actions. If you suspect pain or infection, you will need to notify the head nurse or attending physician.
2. Boredom is a common culprit of seniors acting out – after all, they often feel lonely. If the patient is physically able, you may want to get them involved in an activity, or even talk them for a walk or wheelchair them around the premises to help them feel better.
3. Don’t be surprised if patients act out occasionally, and this behavior is not limited to Alzheimer’s patients. Many of the most perceptive CNAs have learned to provide their patients with ample positive attention while they are calm, which helps avoid the entire scenario of them crying out for attention.

Some Tips to Calm Patients with Dementia Related to Alzheimer’s

• Soothing music, soft toys, favorite personal items, and a gentle touch can be helpful.
• Distraction can be highly effective and is far more effective than attempts at reasoning.
• Ask closed questions as opposed to open-ended ones that leave the patient struggling for answers.
• Reminisce with the patient and help them focus on positive experiences of their life
• Therapeutic activities like mild exercise, art, and interacting with other patients can be quite helpful to lift a patient’s spirits and distract them temporarily from their troubles.

Dealing with these patients is not always easy, and it can be downright disheartening to witness patients falling into states of dementia or developing Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is a part of the job, and with time and experience, you’ll learn which approaches work best with individual patients.

In your CNA training, most of your coursework is based on the premise of helping you gain competency. Unfortunately, competency in handling physical tasks is not necessarily enough to make you a truly outstanding nurse aide or home health care worker. Knowing how to transfer patients safely from their bed to a wheelchair or taking accurate vitals doesn’t come in handy when it comes to satisfying the emotional requirements of the job.

Keeping this concept in mind, it’s crucial that you take an emotional inventory of sorts, in efforts to discover if you really have what it takes to be a certified nurse aide. These five areas of emotional competency may not be intrinsic to your nature – however, most of them can be learned and mastered with practice and experience.

Self-Awareness and Regard for Others

If you have the ability to recognize your feelings accurately, you probably can safely say that you have a high emotional IQ. Understanding what you are feeling when dealing with a complicated situation on the job will help you better deal with the patient in many aspects. Essentially, recognition of your emotions is the first step in adequately masking your displeasure of feelings of hurt when an uncooperative patient gives you problems. Many experienced CNA’s are able to handle these circumstances in the same fashion as they deal with children: patience and a straight face.

This leads to the second element of the equation – how are your reactions and responses making the patient feel. Do you have the ability to look beyond your emotions to ultimately realize the affect on your charge? If you feel as though you are not so skilled in the emotional IQ department, don’t panic! There are plenty of resources available to help you learn how to master your emotions, and time on the job may well prove to be the best teacher.

Mood Management – Yours and Others

Part of possessing high emotional intelligence involves controlling your impulses and dealing with any uprising anger constructively, whether the discontent be yours or the patient’s. As with any job, expressing negative emotions can be a firing offense, so the ability to control them is instrumental to maintaining a good standing with your employer – not to mention relations with the patients.

According to many experienced CNA’s, they have had experiences where they fully believed that they were masking their anger, only to receive a reprimand from their supervisor later on. Even though they were keeping a straight face, the patient’s seem to have the ability to tell through very subtle cues about their displeasure. This is not surprising so much, is it? Just because a person is ill or elderly, it doesn’t mean that they are not astute enough to see through a thin veil put out to attempt masking your anger. Even the best CNA’s have to work on their ability to manage their moods successfully, which means they don’t have to hide their feelings whatsoever.

Motivation

What really motivates you and pushes you to achieve your best work? If it’s financial gain, you might not be looking into the right career. Although CNA salary is quite good, it certainly will not make you wealthy in the finance department. This particular job is one that you really need to like on some intrinsic level and truly enjoy. Certainly, no job is a trip to Disneyworld, but if you do not genuinely care about the well being of the patients, this is no arena for you to enter. Before heading to work every day, a CNA needs to possess the ability to work towards the goal of having a successful, productive day with a positive attitude.

Empathy

This is one that you either have or you don’t. Do you truly feel sad when friends and family are having problems? Can you realistically say that you care about the well-being of others? Then you’ve got what it takes to work in the medical profession as a CNA, HHA, or hospice and palliative caregiver. For example, if you have a grouchy or reluctant patient, you might have the natural inclination to see beyond their anger and irritation, and have an understanding of the reasons behind their irritation. Things such as loneliness, despair, and fear often fuel client hostility. Being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes will help you easily manage many of the other aspects of emotional intelligence.

Managing Relationships

Employment as a CNA is all about relationships – with patients, their families, and your co-workers and supervisors. These relationships will often test your ability to resolve conflicts, as well as your ability to cooperate with the members of the clinical team. Working well with others is the only way to ensure that every patient receives the care and dignity they deserve, after all, it’s their troubles or situation that is ultimately paying your salary.

Can You Do It?

As you can see, there is much more involved in being a successful CNA beyond performing task-associated duties, and it takes more than two working hands to be considered competent within this rewarding field. The more in touch you are with your emotional competency, the better your job performance and satisfaction will be. You’ll be able to communicate more effectively, boast a higher level of productivity, and manage changes more efficiently. Again, if you don’t have all of these skills mastered, don’t be discouraged! You will learn in time, as long as you have the willingness to try, you might find it easier to reach a higher emotional IQ than you think with the right experience.

Once you have decided to pursue a Home Health Aide or CNA career, you’ll need to think about where you might want to work. As you already know, there is a high demand for health care workers, and nursing homes and home health care are two of the most popular options considered by certified HHA’s and nurse aides. Nursing homes will require you to work with primarily senior citizens, while home health aide positions will permit you to work inside a private home or convalescent community with a broader spectrum of clientele. These patients typically include persons who are disabled, mentally impaired, critically ill, or temporarily incapacitated. Your preference is very much a matter of personal choice, but here are some things to also consider before settling on one setting over another.

Types of Tasks Within Each Setting

Generally, the tasks you will be required to perform will be the same – tending to grooming, hygiene, and taking and recording vitals. Unlike in a nursing home, where there are orderlies and janitorial employees, HHA’s and hospice care CNA’s will often perform light housekeeping duties and may be asked to run certain errands for the family. Whether you are employed privately or through a home health care service will be the deciding factor. Working privately has its benefits, especially concerning the level of pay, but you may be expected to perform these additional chores including cooking and assisting with young children.

Naturally, you will need to be more independent when working in a patient’s residence either privately or through a service, and keeping any necessary supplies on hand at the home is an additional task you will deal with. As a home health care CNA, you will likely get to know the patient and their family quite well, at least more so as compared to brief encounters with relatives in a nursing home. Let’s face it, not everyone is exactly a charmer, and some families can be downright disagreeable. Often, this is due to stress caused by their loved one’s illness, but sometimes, you may encounter truly unpleasant people. This is more likely to occur in hospice or when working for an agency, as you don’t get to choose who your patients are.

Number of Patients

This is probably one of the biggest differences for obvious reasons. In home care, you will work with one patient for extended periods, often up to 8 hours, depending on the patient’s status. You may finish your duties quickly, and be left with not much to do beside taking vitals and checking on the patient. If none of your patients is on full-time watch, you may have several specific patients to attend to each day, and they will usually be the same patients, so you know what to expect.

In a nursing home, you may be assigned an entire wing of patients to work solo, or in partnership with a team of nursing assistants. Every senior care facility operates differently. Patient assignments may work on a rotating basis, while others prefer to keep patients with familiar caregivers. This is something you may want to ask about when interviewing for a job at a facility. Not only does it show that really know what you’re facing, but also that you are interested in the job’s specifications – eagerness is always a bonus with interviewers.

Office Politics and Team Work

If you don’t like to get involved in this all too common practice, working within a facility may not be right for you. Nursing homes and senior care institutions require you to work closely with a team of caregivers, so if you enjoy that scene and the sense of camaraderie it can provide, go for it. Many CNA’s prefer to have an organized structure as opposed to driving around town and being responsible for transporting supplies for patients. Those who prefer to do their own thing and work independently are perfectly oriented for home health care positions. The most successful home heath aides are highly motivated, enjoy getting to know their charges, and have no problem getting their work done without constant oversight.

Gaining Valuable Experience

Regardless of which type of working environment you prefer, you will likely learn quite a few new skills very quickly on the job. If you plan to pursue higher levels of nursing in the future, either one of these types of employment will prove invaluable because each experience is unique. You’ll quickly discover which is just right for you as you progress in your training and experience as a certified nurse aide, and both of these options will provide you with a world of opportunities and a good CNA salary.

 
Your interest in pursuing CNA certification is a huge step, and you may already have an idea that you want to offer nursing assistance to people within hospice care, or you may considering doing so. In most states, your certification as a nursing assistant will be ample to get you a starting position within this field; however, much like certification for nurse aides, there is a way to obtain certification as a hospice and palliative nursing assistant (CHPNA). The Hospice and Palliative Nursing Association, or HPNA offers this certification and can easily become an addition to your status as a certified nursing assistant.

Requirements for CHPNA Testing

Because of the prerequisites in place to qualify for testing, it is important for you to secure a place in the workforce that will allow you to gain experience in hospice or palliative care. You will need to work in a hospice care situation directly under the supervision of a registered nurse for a minimum of 2000 hours before you can apply for CHPNA testing. This experience is deemed necessary by the accrediting board, and without this practice, one may find that they experience difficulty passing the examination. Therefore, you will need to submit documentation that you have achieved these hours, as well as complete an application for testing. Fees average between $130 and $180 depending on whether or not you choose to become a member of the HPNA prior to testing. Testing locations are widely available, and most states boast sites within their major cities and highly populated metropolitan areas.

The Certified Hospice and Palliative Nursing Assistant Exam

The CHPNA examination consists of 110 multiple-choice questions that have been created by individuals with expertise within the field of hospice nursing, and you will have three hours to complete the test. These questions are relevant and appropriate to test your knowledge within the field. This type of examination is geared towards ensuring that your two years of experience has taught you all you should know to be successful in the field. Unlike your CNA training, there will be no practicum skills tested, only the written exam. One of the best parts about becoming a CHPNA is that you do not have to take any additional coursework in order to get your certification, as you will learn most of these tasks within your CNA training classes. If you are interested in seeing some of the types of questions that are on the exam, visit the HPNA website.

Why Get CHPNA Certified?

The benefits of certification are numerous, and as an individual pursuing CNA certification, you surely understand the reasoning behind employers showing a preference for hiring the best caregivers in the industry. Getting certified not only reassures employers that you will do a good job in caring for their patients, but the patients you care for have a sense of relief knowing that you are qualified. Naturally, you should receive a higher pay after certification, even if you stay working at the same facility where you earned your qualifying hours for testing. Your work in hospice can be rewarding in more than just a financial sense, as you will likely find your job to fulfill your intrinsic need to do something special with your life, and CHPNAs certainly fit that description.