During June, we all have the opportunity to recognize a valuable part of the long-term healthcare community: our Nursing Assistants. June 17-24 is the 44th celebration of National Nursing Assistants Week. This year’s theme is “Nursing Assistants: Kindness in Action.”

Nursing Assistant history

CNAs have a storied history in healthcare that dates back to World War I. In 1918, the Red Cross introduced the Volunteer Nurses’ Aide Service to train assistants for overworked nurses who were struggling to care for veterans. During the volunteer recruitment efforts for World War II, their ranks swelled. Today, there are more than 2 million nursing assistants in the nation who work in a variety of healthcare environments.

Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) had a vital role as the providers of the bulk of hands-on care in healthcare facilities. These often unsung frontline heroes deserve our appreciation and respect for their everyday efforts and acts of kindness to others. In skilled nursing care facilities, they provide much of the dignified direct care that residents need daily. 

They play the critical role of helping residents with living activities such as bathing and personal care, eating assistance, dressing and grooming, transfers and positioning. They also listen to the concerns of residents, measure vital signs and assist in treatment. The role that CNAs play in the lives of residents and their families is essential to their improved health and wellbeing. In addition to helping elderly and disabled residents with basic living activities and care, they also provide valuable emotional support. Through their daily contact, they form long-lasting, close relationships that are therapeutic for residents.

CNAs are a key part of a facility being a community of caring and we all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude. A few simple actions can help show appreciation and let the CNAs at your facility know that they are an important part of your team.

Ways to show appreciation

1. Say it with words. The little things matter and there’s nothing as powerful as a simple thank you from the heart to your CNAs. Whenever you get a moment, take some time to thank your CNAs for their hard work and the care they provide.
2. Post it up. If you have a bulletin board or a newsletter at your facility, share a heartfelt note of gratitude during this week to let your CNAs know how much you value them.
3. Shout it out online. A great place to share your appreciation for your CNAs is on social media. Post their pictures and give them a mention on the official social media accounts.
4. Give out some gifts. Small tokens of appreciation like T-shirts, lapel pins and badge lanyards can do much to let your CNAs know that you care.
5. Give an award. Do you have a really great CNA? Is there one that sticks out above the rest? Let them know by creating and giving them an award to recognize their excellence.

The Compliance Store wishes the CNAs across the nation a very happy National Nursing Assistants Week!

To help long-term care facilities support their direct care staff, The Compliance Store offers a wealth of searchable resources for training, creating policies and procedures, and competency assessments. For more information, contact us online or call us at 877-582-7347.