The nurse aide provides a great amount of physical care to clients, including:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Feeding
• Lifting
• Assisting with mobility
• Toileting

The characteristics a nurse aide should possess are:

• Caring
• Compassion
• Physically and mentally well
• Good listener
• Good observation skills
• Hardworking

A CNA can work in:

• Nursing homes
• Residential care facilities
• Hospitals
• Home care agency
• Doctors' office

The following requirements are needed before clinical and are included in tuition:

• Rubella and Rubeola Titers (blood work)
• Tuberculosis skin test
• Physical exam

The following requirements must be met by a CNA student:

• Must be free of physical restrictions
• Must be physically and mentally able to handle the stressors of the job

Certification is required for any person employed in a Nursing home as a CNA. Requirements include:

• Satisfactory completion of an approved program for CNA
• Successful Completion of the Certification examination
• Cost of exam is included in the tuition for this program
• Computer-based multiple choice test is given to a group of students by an outside evaluator
• Clinical skills portion is taken in the campus lab with an outside evaluator
• Each tester is given 5 skills to complete with the evaluator observing.
• The evaluator is NOT an employee of the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES

All nursing homes are required to do a criminal background check for direct care employees. Once hired the nursing home/home care agency will run a background check. The operator must review it to determine the applicant’s suitability for employment. If the check reveals a conviction for any of the following offenses, then the operator is PROHIBITED from hiring or utilizing the individual in a direct care or patient supervision capacity.

• ANY Class A felony, no time limitation
• ANY Class B or C with the last 10 years
• The 10 years starts at the time of conviction
• ANY Class D or E Felony listed in Article 120, Assault, 130 Sexual offense, 155
• Larceny, 1260 Robbery for 10 years
• ANY crime defined in Section 260.32 or 260.43 of the Penal Law (endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person) occurring with the 10 years preceding the CHRC report
• ANY comparable offense in any other jurisdiction