The importance of a CNA's role in the healthcare industry

- The CNA is probably the most important person on the healthcare team because the CNA is the voice of the patient who really understands that patient. And I just think the healthcare team, all of the other members of the healthcare team, really need to listen to that CNA when they speak because they know what they're talking about. - Well, certified nursing aides or CNAs basically, what I call them are the hands of the facility. They are really the most important member of the team because they are the ones who really interact on day-to-day basis, many hours a day with the residents in the building. They're basically really the right-hand partner, if you will, for the residents in the building. And if the CNAs are engaged, then the residents feel very comfortable. They build this trust for the whole facility based on their communication and their interaction with the CNAs. - CNAs are so important for providing a complete and holistic care to patients so that all of their care needs get met, not just the most acute reason they come to the hospital. Imagine an elderly patient with pneumonia who comes to the hospital. The healthcare providers, like the physician and the registered nurse, focus on giving her oxygen and giving her antibiotics to make sure she gets better quickly. But what they might be forgetting or what they might not provide as much attention to are the other care needs that are so important for this patient's wellbeing in the long term. - Because the CNAs are the ones who deliver the care, they're the ones who know the patient, they're the ones who are with the patient or the resident 24/7, so they're the first line of treatment, the first line of observation, the first line of therapy, the first line of interaction. Their work is crucial. In order for the team to be effective, they need to do their work and then the rest of the team can follow along and support. As you go through this course, please remember that your role is crucial not only to the patient and to the team with whom you're working, but it's also crucial overall to the healthcare system in this country and your role really matters.