Role of the Nurse Aide
Know your boundaries
The nurse aide's role is defined by state law, the facility job description, and delegation from a licensed nurse (RN or LPN). You provide hands-on personal care, assist with ADLs, observe and report, and document what you actually did. You do not assess, diagnose, plan care, administer medications, perform sterile procedures, or decide that a prescribed intervention is unnecessary. When a nurse delegates a task, the nurse keeps the nursing judgment; you own correct performance of the task and reporting what you see.
Rights, ethics, and reporting
Residents keep rights: privacy, dignity, choice, confidentiality, freedom from abuse and unnecessary restraint, and the right to refuse care. Share information only with the care team - casual talk about a resident is a confidentiality breach. Abuse and neglect (physical, sexual, verbal, financial, neglect, involuntary seclusion) are reported immediately up the chain of command and, per Alaska requirements, to the appropriate state agency. Protect the resident first, then report.
Traps to watch
Questions lean on the word "should." The right answer usually keeps you inside your scope and gets the nurse involved: "ask the nurse" beats "decide for yourself." Distractors invite you to chart a guess, ignore a request, take a order directly from a provider, or handle a problem quietly so no one worries.
Rule of thumb
If you were not trained, not delegated, and it is not in your job description, do not do it - report it. Example: a resident asks, "Do I have cancer?" You neither confirm nor deny; you acknowledge the concern and tell the nurse the resident has questions.