Role of the Nurse Aide
Scope, delegation, and documentation
The CNA is a member of the nursing team, not an independent clinician. Know your job description, state scope of practice, facility policy, and the resident’s care plan. Follow the chain of command: report to the charge nurse or supervisor, and ask when a task is unclear. A nurse may delegate routine tasks that are within the CNA’s training and legal scope, but the CNA remains responsible for competent, safe performance and for reporting changes. Do not accept a task you are not trained or authorized to perform, do not change the care plan on your own, and do not perform nursing assessments or give medications unless your state and facility specifically authorize it through additional training.
Documentation should be objective, factual, timely, and limited to care you provided or observed. Record what was done, when, and how the resident responded; avoid opinions, guesses, and blame. A common trap is charting before care is finished, charting for a coworker, or writing “resident fine” when a change was reported. Confidentiality and professionalism matter: do not gossip, accept money or gifts that could blur boundaries, or discuss residents in public.
Worked example: A nurse is busy and asks you to “just give Mr. B his pills.” If medication administration is not part of your authorized CNA role, decline politely: “I’m not authorized to give medications as a CNA. I can help you set up the resident, but you need to administer them.” Report the request to the supervisor if needed. Rule of thumb: if you are not trained, authorized, and delegated, do not do it-ask the nurse.