• Theory training, in which you will learn the coursework required to complete this qualification

• Clinical training, during which you will get the required hands-on experience needed to be a nurse assistant

Because nurse is a very practical job, many people see the hands-on training section of the course as being the most important.

What Is A CNA?

A CNA, or certified nursing assistant, is a health care worker that works on the frontlines of patient care. The tasks they perform involve basic day-today care for a patient’s immediate needs. CNAs cannot function autonomously and require strict supervision form qualified nurses in all that they do. A CNA is actively involved in the following day-to-day tasks:

• Personal Hygiene: One major task of a CNA is to assist patients in maintaining their personal hygiene by brushing their teeth, helping them shower/bath, washing them in bed, and keeping their hair clean.

• Infection Control: Germs spread easily and quickly in a hospital setting. As a CNA you need to keep up with the latest development in germ spread prevention technology and procedures and implement those procedures efficiently.

• Dietary Care: Another main function of a CNA is to ensure that your patients are eating enough of the correct food to facilitate their personal recovery.

• Administering Treatments: There are a few limited treatments that a CNA can administer or help administer.

• Reporting: Accurate reporting of the patient’s vital signs and condition forms a big part of the job.

• Emotional Support: Patients in a health care setting require emotional support tin addition to physical care.

What Is A CNA Clinical?

CNA clinicals have the following features and purposes:

• They are the equivalent of internships and residencies for doctors in that they give you real life hands-on experience

• They give you a chance to work with real patients in a supervised setting before being forced to work on your own as an RN

• Your clinicals count towards your grade, and sometimes make up your entire grade, as teachers use them to evaluate their students

• In a CNA clinical training course you will be rotated through a variety of departments, thereby getting a feel for the different areas of nursing

• You will work alongside trained nurses and other health care professionals, giving you a feel for how a health care team works in reality

• Although you will also receive training in a classroom setting, this theory knowledge merely supplements your clinical training and cannot replace it

• You may also be given the opportunity to practice your clinical knowledge in simulated settings where no one’s life is at risk

• Your CNA clinical training can be very stressful and intensive, especially at first, but you will be very glad of it once it is over

Reasons For Doing CNA Clinicals

Completing the CNA clinical portion of your training program is extremely important. The reasons for doing these hands-on training programs are, for the most part, self-evident. Nurses who look on their clinical training as an unfortunate trial that they have to get through in order to be certified may want to reexamine their motivation for becoming a nurse. The clinical part of your training should be seen as the most important as well as the most exciting portion of your educational journey to becoming a CNA. As a CNA you will be required to engage in a number of very practical tasks throughout your career that cannot be adequately taught through theory work. As the job of a CNA is in itself a very practical job, the brief CNA training you will go through will consist mainly of CNA clinical work. If you do not have the time for your clinical tasks you will also struggle to find the time to do a job as CNA as the fast-paced, work-intensive career comes with inconvenient hours and low pay. If you do not love the clinical side of the job, you will not be a very happy nurse’s assistant.

Satisfy Program Requirements

CNA courses are substantially shorter than many other nursing courses, such as those that LPNs and RNs complete. However, a large portion of this course consists of practical training which must be completed in order for your qualification to be approved. Thus your CNA clinical work is part of the program requirements that you have to meet in order to be a CNA. The hands-on portion of your training will prepare you for all of the work that you will have to do in your CNA career. Some CNA training programs allow you to receive your hands-on training while engaged in the theory side of your coursework. However the usual rule is that you have to complete the required amount of theory training before you will be able to begin your CNA clinical training. The clinical portion of your training will be carefully supervised by an expert in the field, usually an LPN or an RN. This will help you prepare for the fact that you will need to take order from LPNs, RNs, and other health care professionals once you are qualified to work as a CNA.

Experience Different Work Environments

Certified nursing assistants are needed in practically every health care facility out there. Consequently there are a number of different working environments that you can be exposed to as a CNA. During your CNA clinical training you will be given the opportunity to work in a variety of vastly different healthcare settings, each of which has its own methodology and procedures. Different patients are treated differently. For example you do not treat newborn babies with the same methods as you would treat adults or elderly patients. Consequently there are a number of different work environments available to you and your CNA clinical training is a good way to get your first taste of what employment opportunities are available.
If you plant to advance your nursing career by becoming an LPN or an RN you will find that the more experience you have in a wider selection of settings at CNA level, the better your chances of receiving a job in a good facility once you are qualified as a licensed practical nurse or as a registered nurse. A wide variety of nursing environments will help you as a CNA, but it is also a good way to advance your nursing career in general.

Gain Hands-On Experience

Because being a certified nursing assistant is a very practical job, hands-on experience is the main purpose of a CNA clinical course. Some of the advantages of gaining hands-on experience are that:

• You will have the opportunity to engage in interaction with doctors, patients and other nurses, giving you an idea of the CNA field and allowing you to become comfortable with the communication and interaction patterns used in a healthcare setting.

• You will begin to develop an understanding of how the health care team functions and what your correct place, as a CNA, is in the hierarchy of that health care team.

• You will be given insight into the expectations of nurses.

• You will be given insight into the demands of the profession.

• You will be given insight into the proper work etiquette and attire.

• You will begin to develop an understanding of how to interact with patients appropriately without overstepping your boundaries as a CNA.

• You will, most importantly of all, be given the opportunity to practice and apply all you have learned throughout your coursework, which is extremely important as theory work cannot replace actual real life experience in nursing.

How Can I Be Prepared For A Clinical Course?

There are a number of ways in which you can prepare for you first CNA clinical day in order to make it substantially less frightening for you. Firstly you should always be prepared. When you come to class on your first clinical day, and on every other day after that, bring your drug book, care plan, stethoscope and a pen and paper so you can jot down any useful remarks that the instructor makes. It is essential to always be on time for your clinical. If you are not, you will give your instructor a bad perception of you that can affect your final score. You will also need to be on time in your career as a CNA, so now is a good time to start practicing. Before you start your first CNA clinical you will be informed of the dress code. Follow this code exactly as you do not want to draw unnecessary negative attention to yourself. Read up on the skills that you may be expected to show in the first few days of clinical training and think of ways in which you can subtly show your instructor that you have prepared. You should be very careful not to trust people on your first few days and to only do what your instructor, and nobody else, tells you. There are many things that CNAs in training may not do. Do not go beyond the scope of practice or limits the instructor has set. It does not matter if you have been an LPN for 15 years and have been passing meds during that time. If the instructor says you cannot give meds without her supervision, don’t. Never look unprofessional.

Where Can I Get My Clinical Experience?

CNA Clinical Training In Hospitals

Because CNA training is intensive in practical experience, an actual hospital setting is one of the best places to earn your qualification as a CNA. The CNA clinical work will be a good reflection of what you will do in your actual job.

CNA Clinical Training At Vocational And Community Colleges

These are very popular options for studying to become a CNA< but it must be noted that the CNA clinical training that you do will not be done at the college itself, but rather at a nearby participating health care facility.

CNA Clinical Training In Nursing Homes

Community and vocational colleges are the most popular places to receive CNA training, but for a strong focus in CNA clinical training nursing homes are good bet. They often offer free hands-on training in order to combat staffing shortages on the condition that you work for them for a certain period of time after qualifying.

Red Cross CNA Clinical Training

According to cntraininghelp.com “Red Cross offers one of the best training options available in the United States. Through its chapters located throughout the country, it offers one of the most thorough and properly recognized CNA course available today”.

The Problem With Online Training Schools

Studying for your CNA qualification online comes with one very specific problem: there is no way at all to complete clinical training in an online setting. This means that you can only complete the theory training section of your qualification in this way. A website that claims to offer a full qualification entirely online must be treated with suspicion as 1) it probably isn’t accredited, and 2) it is not being honest with you. That being said there is nothing wrong with completing y9our theory work online as long as the school is an accredited one and as long as you do your clinical training in a real health care setting after you complete the online course.

CNA clinicals are a necessary part of your training, and you will enjoy the more if you look on them as the main purpose of your training. Nursing is, after all, a very practical and hands-on career, so you should not begrudge the hours of clinical training that you are obligated to receive as your CNA clinical is that you need to be well prepared for your career.

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The roots of social work can be traced back as far as the industrial revolution, where society had to find a way to deal with the poverty and the resultant problems that it causes. The initial focus of social work was to deal with poverty; hence it became synonymous with charity work. A modern Clinical Social Worker, however, deals with far more than just poverty; homophobia, sexism, racism and other phobias such as ageism and those focused on disability or mental acuity are just some of the problems that a licensed social worker deals with daily.

Duties Of A Licensed Clinical Social Worker

There are various kinds of social workers, such as a licensed clinical social worker, who specializes in working with children and families. Another type of license social worker may work with those who are having problems due to Mental Health and Substance Abuse issues. A clinical social worker can also work in the Medical and Public Health sector, and then there are also other types of licensed social workers.

This type of social worker helps an individual or a community by providing counselling, and assisting with housing and employment opportunities. The function of a clinical social worker is to get the individual or community to become productive members of society.

A clinical social worker employs the following methods:

• Provides the individual or community with various tools and resources to facilitate healing.

• Facilitates group and individual therapy sessions.

• Arranges special living accommodations.

• Counselling, registering individuals in work programs and assisting them to access financial resources where required.

• Counsel the family of the patient and provide them with information and methods of assisting their loved one to become a practising, independent and productive individual.

• Refers the individual to a psychologist or enrol them in a group-home or halfway house where necessary.

• A licensed social worker works in various settings, such as hospitals, clinics, schools, private practice, inpatient and outpatient mental health clinics, and substance abuse treatment centers.

Personality Traits Of A Clinical Social Worker

Social workers work in difficult circumstances and with people who have various problems ranging from poverty to drug abuse. Not everyone is suited to a career in social work, as we are all different.

Personality traits required for social work:

• A social worker must be emotionally mature.

• Social workers must be able to handle responsibility.

• They must be objective and non-judgemental.

• A licensed social worker needs to be sensitive to people and their problems, personal and otherwise.

• They must be able to maintain good working relationships with clients/patients and co-workers.

• A clinical social worker needs to be able to work independently.

Work Environment Of A Clinical Social Worker

Depending on the branch of social work in which they practice, social workers spend most of their time in an office or residential facility, but may also travel locally to meet with service providers, visit clients or attend meetings.

Social work is a very satisfying although challenging career and huge caseloads and understaffing can lead to added pressure and stress in some circumstances. The full-time social worker’s standard hours are 40 hours per week, although many work weekends and in the evenings in order to take meetings and handle emergencies.

Education Requirements Of A Clinical Social Worker

The entry-level requirements for social workers are a bachelor’s degree and majors in psychology and sociology. Social workers may also take further courses in social work practice and social welfare, and human behavior. Although a Bachelor’s degree is sufficient to begin practicing as a social worker in some fields, many other fields require a MSW or Master’s Degree in Social Work.

In order to become a licensed clinical social worker one has to obtain either a postgraduate degree or honors in social work. A Master’s degree is required for certain positions, especially those in schools and health environments, and is required for clinical work. Certain other jobs in the private and public agencies also require an advanced degree with a focus on social services policy or administration. Teaching positions require a doctorate in social work, as do research positions.

The Council on Social Work Education has accredited in excess of 468 bachelor’s degree programs and 196 master’s degree programs. The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education lists more than 74 doctorate programs in social work.

Bachelor’s Degree Programs

• The aim of a Bachelor’s Degree Program is to promote economic and social justice whilst familiarizing students with the cultural diversity that is prevalent in at-risk populations.

• These programs introduce students to social services and acquaint them with social work practices.

• Training is given in generalized social work and enables and prepares students to become mental health assistants, residential counsellors, and caseworkers.

• Courses generally include applied statistics, counselling strategies, community organizing, cultural diversity and anthropology, human behavior, sociology and psychology, policy analysis, social justice, and research methods.

• The Council on Social Work Education mandates that a Bachelor’s degree program include a minimum of 400 hours of supervised fieldwork.

• Some employers accept social workers with other undergraduate degrees, in related fields such as psychology or sociology.

Although many social work positions require graduate degrees, there are also various career options available for those with a bachelor’s degree:

• Counselling Assistant
• Drug Counsellor
• Group Home Worker
• Mental Health Assistant
• Residential Counsellor

Master’s Degree Programs

• Many social workers’ positions, especially those in healthcare facilities and schools require a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW).

• The Master’s Degree takes 2 years and prepares the students for advanced clinical practice in their chosen specialty.

• The professional components of social work, such as caseload management, clinical assessment, and leadership skills, as done in the Bachelor’s Degree can be expanded on via supervised field practice.

• Students also learn to assist clients currently making use of social services, and supervise a team of social workers.

• A Master’s Degree program incorporates a minimum of 900 hours of fieldwork or internship as mandated by the Council on Social Work Education.

• You do not necessarily require a bachelor’s degree in social work to enter into a master’s program. It is recommended that you have at least done courses in social work, biology, economics, psychology, sociology, and political science.

• A second language can also prove to be very helpful.

• There are part-time courses which usually take four years to complete.

Advancing In The Occupation

• There is scope for these social workers to advance to supervisory positions such as a supervisor, assistant director, executive director or program manager with experience and a higher education.

• A licensed social worker who obtains their doctorate can go on to do research or teach at university or college.

• Some social workers with experience assist the government to formulate policies, analyze and advocate policy positions in government, as members of legislator’s staff, and in research institutions.

• Other social workers who have at least a master’s degree in social work and a relatively decent period of service prefer to become a clinical social worker in a private clinical practice which provides clients with psychotherapy services.

Clinical Social Worker Salary Expectations

The median annual clinical salary for social workers depends largely on the section of social work in which the social worker is employed and also which type of social work is performed.

The table below shows the median annual wages for the various industries employing the most licensed clinical social workers, broken up into the diverse disciplines.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, approximately 24% of Clinical social workers either belong to a union or are represented by a union contract.

Licensing And Certification: License Social Worker

All states and the District of Columbia require licensing, although the certification requirements may vary somewhat. There are four levels of practice which may legally be regulated according to the Association of Social Work Boards.

Licensing

Practices which may be regulated include:

• Bachelors – students who have earned a Baccalaureate Social Work degree.

• Masters – students with a Master of Social Work degree but who have no post-degree experience.

• Advanced Generalist – Master of Social Work degree holders who have at least two years of post-degree supervised experience.

• Clinical – Master of Social Work degree holders with two years of post-degree clinical work experience.

Social workers who are not licensed may face limitations as to where they can legally be employed.

Certification

As all states differ somewhat in their licensing requirements, it is recommended that you check what the requirements are for the state in which you intend to practise. Most states will require a bachelor’s degree and a minimum amount of experience in the field. This experience ranges between 1,600 and 3,000 hours of full-time experience.

Certification for social work is post-baccalaureate; it is beneficial to those who want to enter into a branch of social work such a mental health, child welfare, or other family services.
Certification coursework normally includes:

• Human Behavior
• Policies in Social Welfare
• Psychopathology
• Social Work Research

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Credentials

There are three credentials offered by the National Association of Social Workers for a clinical social worker who has either a Bachelors Social Work degree or a Master’s Degree in Social Work.

Credentials that are offered are:

• The qualified clinical social worker credential is aimed at entry-level clinicians who have a Master’s Degree, are members of the National Association of Social Workers, and a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical practice.

• NASW also certifies seven different specialties, including healthcare, substance abuse, youth and family work, school social work, and case-management.

Clinical Social Worker Job Outlook

There were approximately 642,000 social workers in 2008, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, who project that this figure will increase to 745,000 in the 2008-2018 decade. This is a growth of approximately 16% which is a bigger growth than the average for most other vocations.

A big increase is expected in the Medical and Public Health Social Workers sector due to the aging population requiring more assistance. This means that a licensed clinical social worker in the gerontology sector will have no problem in finding a job.

As you can see from the above table, the average growth of all disciplines is 16%. This is formed by a 12% increase in the social workers for schools, children and family; a 13% increase in Social Workers, All Other; 20% increase in Mental Health And Substance Abuse Social Workers, and the largest increase is of 22% is in the Medical and Public Health Social Workers sector.

One of the most important things to bear in mind when deciding to become a licensed clinical social worker is ensuring that whichever program you do, and whichever institution you study through, they have been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

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