A certified nursing assistant or CNA is a person who has had some training in nursing and has passed a basic examination on the subject, but does not hold professional standing as would a registered nurse. As with people in training to become a physician, a CNA may not perform any act within the practice of medicine unless they are supervised by a registered nurse or the equivalent.
Typically, a CNA will:
- Administer basic medical procedures as directed by a physician, generally in the range of procedures from massage to dressing wounds to catheterization
- Clean and sterilize rooms used by patients
- Document patient complaints, symptoms, and behavior