Blog

Nurse Types / Temporary Nurse Aide

A temporary nurse aide works on a short-term contract to assist nurses and nurses’ aides. They assist Registered Nurses and Certified Registered Nurses in their daily duties. They may deal with chronically ill patients and geriatric patients.

People without nursing backgrounds can now work in health care by taking a free eight-hour course online.

COVID-19 has created a greater need for temporary nurse aides to provide care for elderly and disabled patients.  The American Health Care Association, a nonprofit health organization that seeks to provide resources to skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, and other long-term care providers offer the temporary nurse aide course.

In this article, we will explore:

• What does a temporary nurse aide do?
• How do you become a temporary nurse aide?
• How do you convert to a certified nurse aide?

---

---

What does a temporary nurse aide do?

A temporary nurse aide administers many important tasks throughout their shift to assist the nurses on staff. That said, they have to work under the supervision of a registered nurse or nurse’s aide.

These duties include, but are not limited to:

• Bathing
• Oral Care
• Grooming – Shaving and Nail Care
• Dressing and Undressing
• Infection Control and Prevention
• Positioning, Moving and Restorative Care
• Nutrition and Elimination
• Comfort Care and End of Life Care

How do you become a temporary nurse aide?

To become a temporary nurse aide, you must complete an eight-hour online course through the American Health Care Association. The course covers daily living, infection control, and prevention, positioning, nutrition and elimination, along with comfort and end-of-life care. 

Candidates must answer 40 of 50 questions correctly to pass the final assessment. After passing the course, candidates will receive a certificate that they can give to their potential employers.

The certificates expire on April 21, 2021. The certificates are suitable for the pandemic duration or at least while there is a public health emergency in place.

Temporary nurse aides can find employment with nursing homes or hospital facilities with their certificates.

How can you convert to a certified nurse aide?

To go from a temporary nurse aide to a certified nursing assistant, short-term aides must transition into an emergency nurse training program. The emergency nurse aide training program requires at least 75- hours of training. 

However, temporary nurse aides can apply their eight hours of initial training toward the 75-hour minimum requirement for certification. Also, 16 of the training hours have to involve a clinical setting.

The 1135 waiver (related to nursing home) for temporary nurses in training is set to end on June 6, 2022. This means that temporary nurse aides in training will have to return to the 4-month course and be completed by October 6, 2022.

In conclusion, COVID-19 has created a need for assistance with patient care. It’s an excellent opportunity for someone who has never worked in the field to get a jump-start. If you recently transitioned over to a registered nurse or CNA and need to take continuing education credits, we’ve got you covered at Incredible Health. Our courses are free, online, and accredited.

What is a certified nurse assistant

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is an entry-level healthcare professional who assists with patients’ immediate and day-to-day needs within a medical setting. They work under a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse’s (LPN) supervision.

FAQs

---

---

Career Resources / Job Searching / ER Nurse Interview Questions

There’s an incredible sense of relief when you pass the NCLEX. After shedding blood, sweat, and tears, you’re ecstatic about the emergency room interview you landed…and the sweat starts dripping again.

Interviewing doesn’t have to be as hard as nursing school.

Our team at Incredible Health knows just how you feel. This article will help you ace an interview using advice and questions straight from ER and hospital nurses. 

• Tips For Acing Your Interview
• General Questions
• ER-Specific Questions
• Unusual Questions and Situations
• Question to Ask Your Interviewers
• Next Steps

---

---

Tips For Acing Your Interview

Promoting Yourself

To present yourself well, it’s important to know yourself well.

Before the interview, list your strengths, skills, and successes. Write down your goals and values, too. From this list, narrow down 7-10 strengths and passions. 

Next, list brief stories that show off each skill. Be sure to show how your strengths meet the needs of the unit. 

For example, if you’re great with psych patients or difficult families, tell a specific story of how you de-escalated a situation. Or, if you are great with technical skills, tell a story of how you inserted the airway or foley catheter no one else could get. 

Use the list and stories to answer various questions during the interview, painting a picture of who you are and how you’d make a great ER caregiver and team member.

While promoting yourself confidently is key, it’s also vital to show honesty and self-assessment skills in an interview. Managers expect imperfection and look for confident nurses who are also teachable and ask for help when they need it. 

Researching the Company

Study the hospital and the department before your interview. Read as much as you can on their website. Know their values, mission, trauma level, service area, patient population, doctors, services, reviews, and anything else you can gather.

By researching the organization, you’ll learn keywords to use during the interview to show how your skills and values match theirs.

Try to learn about the hiring manager before the interview. Ask the recruiter for the name of the  lead interviewer. If you work in the same hospital, try to meet them ahead of time. You may find the individual(s) on the hospital website, in online news articles, or on LinkedIn, a great place to network.

Review the job description well. It gives clues into the department’s values, expectations and topics the interviewers might ask about. Knowing this will help you prepare more keywords and example stories for your answers.

This curiosity will also help you prepare questions to ask the interviewers. Questions show you are interested in knowing them and are insightful about the unit’s complexities.

Practicing!

Just like practicing your nursing skills, rehearsing an interview will boost your confidence and relax your nerves.

Practice answering questions out loud. Speaking to your mirror might feel odd, but it revealsyour tone and energy. Recording or videoing yourself does the trick as well.

Consider asking a friend, coworker, or nursing instructor to hold a mock interview with you. Answering questions under pressure will prepare you for the real thing.

Lastly, envision your success often before the meeting. Be detailed as you imagine a successful interview. 

General Interview Questions 

To get to know you, interviewers will likely ask general nursing questions first. More specific questions will follow to see whether you fit well into their department.

Answer general questions in a way that relates to emergency nursing. If you’ve never worked in an ER, show off skills relevant to the unit.

Your ER interviewer looks for nurses who stay calm, focused, and task-oriented in the face of trauma and critical situations. They want flexible nurses with clear and caring communication skills, quick decision-making talents, and good technical skills.

Here are some general questions you may be asked:

• Can you tell me about yourself?
• Tell me a time when you went above and beyond to help a patient or team member.
• What methods do you use to manage your time and tasks at work (or during clinicals)?
• *How do you handle your emotions at work with difficult coworkers, patients, or family members? *Check out our emotional labor piece for more on this key workplace skill.
• Where would you like to be professionally in 5 years?

For detailed advice on general interview questions, be sure to read 20+ Nursing Interview Questions, Answers and Tips. 

ER-Specific Questions 

• Why do you want to work in this emergency department?

Sample answer: This is where your prior research on the department will help. Rather than use this time to talk only about yourself, highlight the things you love about their department.

• Describe your communication style with doctors and team members, and tell us how you handle team conflict. 

Sample answer: Clear communication is an ER survival skill for both the team and the patients. Miscommunication in pressured situations is not an option. Tell a story showing how you confidently and professionally communicate with your coworkers.

Interviewers may give you a scenario-type question to ask how you’d correct a doctor or clear up miscommunication. They want nurses who are both bold and respectful.

This could be a good time to ask what MD standing orders the unit has for nurses. This gives you insight into the teamwork and efficiency of the unit.

• Describe a clinical situation where you were under a lot of pressure. How did you deal with it? What methods worked well for you?

Sample answer: Nursing is stressful. Hiring teams want to know you have strategies to deal with it. Discuss specific ways you handle stress during work and outside of work. Talk about how you and your team help each other handle work pressure and trauma.

This is a great time to ask how the hiring unit supports their staff’s mental and physical health.

• Tell me about a time you dealt with a critical patient. What did you learn? How would you have handled it differently?

Sample answer: There are different ways to ask nurses about their skills and ability to manage critical moments. Be ready for any form of this question by writing down stories of unstable patients and how they shaped your critical thinking and technical skills.

• Tell me about a time you noticed a change in a patient’s condition and how you intervened?

Sample answer: A vital nursing skill is keeping an eye on patients’ conditions during a busy shift. Tell a story proving your nursing intuition, assessment skills, and ability to act quickly and decisively.

• How would you manage these 4 patients under your care: one who visited the emergency department for chest pain, one with sepsis symptoms, one in a mental health crisis, and one with minor cold symptoms?

Sample answer: Always be ready for scenario questions during your interview. Your interviewers are looking for how you make quick decisions and triage patients. This gives them insight into your clinical knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Scenario questions are also a good time to include keywords like task prioritization, patient safety, delegation and focused assessment.

If you just finished nursing school, it’s okay to say something like, “I can’t wait to learn more from your team about how you manage care for complex patient loads. During clinicals, I had a similar scenario that taught me a lot….” Discuss a story of your toughest patient load, how you prioritized care based on the patients’ disease processes and conditions, what you did well and what you learned.

Keep in mind the interviewers know you are likely nervous and might miss something. Thankfully, perfection is not the goal. If you keep a confident and calm demeanor, your mind is more likely to think clearly to answer the best you can.  

• Tell us a story of how you handled a difficult patient. 

Sample answer: ER patients can be difficult. They are scared, anxious, painful, or altered, and maybe all four at the same time.

Pick a story showing your ability to de-escalate a situation with a dementia, psychiatric or angry patient. Your goal is to show that you calmly helped solve a patient’s problem, eased their frustrations, and kept everyone safe.

Be sure to highlight any de-escalation and patient safety training and certifications.

Unusual Questions and Situations

It can be nerve-wracking when an interviewer asks an unusual question.

Do your best to keep a calm manner so you can think about the question and their reason for asking it. Try to understand what they are looking for to target your answer. It’s okay to ask the interviewing team to explain their question or give an example.

Also, be honest about your skills and knowledge. If this is an area of weakness, talk about what you have done or plan to do to improve.

After you give an answer, ask what they would do in the same situation. This shows your ability to learn and grow.

In rare cases, an emergency department might run you through a simulation. During initial contact with the recruiter, ask if there will be a skills simulation. 

If so, ask when it will occur and for any specific details or advice they can give you ahead of time. If a simulation is planned, ask if you should wear scrubs instead of professional clothing. 

It’s nearly impossible not to feel nervous about a simulation. Some helpful steps to guide you through it are:

1. Tell yourself you’re more excited than nervous. This helps your brain reframe the situation to be less afraid.
2. Next, be confident in the skills you do have and do them with excellence.
3. Lastly, be honest and ask a team member for help if you do not know what to do. Or delegate the task to another team member if appropriate. This will show your desire to learn, ability to take direction, leadership skills and willingness to ask for help rather than injure a patient.

---

---

Questions to Ask Your Interviewers

Hiring managers will tell you they are impressed when a candidate asks good questions. It shows your engagement, curiosity and knowledge.

Veteran nurses suggest you ask questions like these: 

• How many patients does the unit see per day and night shift?
• What is your patient population like? 
• How many technicians do you have?
• What is your patient door-to-bed time?
• What is your patient-to-nurse ratio? Are you fully staffed or understaffed?
• What are some expectations you have for the staff under your leadership?
• What is your staff’s morale like during these difficult times? Have you had a lot of nurses leave? How do you address that?
• How do you protect your employees from violent patients and families? How many security guards are in the building during each shift?
• What kind of culture do you aim to facilitate in your unit?
• What current goals do you have for the unit?
• How do you help nurses complete required or desired certifications?
• What are educational opportunities and available reimbursements?
• What are growth opportunities in your system?
• Are there opportunities for participation in unit-based organizations?
• What resources are available if I have questions about policies and procedures?
• What would you say makes a good ER nurse?
• Is there a nurse in the unit I could talk with?

Next steps 

Move forward with courage and take the risk of pursuing your dream job. Every interview, successful or not, gets you one step closer.

Incredible Health is in the business of landing that dream nursing job. Our Career Resources is a great starting place for more help. 

Remember, you’re in demand! 

A nursing diagnosis is a way for nurses to use a common language to communicate about their patients. This includes the health issues they face and the interventions nurses can provide.

NANDA International, Inc. (NANDA-I) is the organization that develops and publishes evidence-based standardized language including lists of approved nursing diagnoses. 

This article will cover:

• What is a nursing diagnosis?
• How does a nursing diagnosis differ from a medical diagnosis?
• What are the types of nursing diagnoses?
• How to determine a nursing diagnosis
  • What are the 3 parts of a nursing diagnosis?
  • Following up on a nursing diagnosis

What is a nursing diagnosis?

A nursing diagnosis applies a nurse’s clinical judgment about the patient’s response to a potential or actual health condition. It may include circumstances where a patient is at risk of getting sicker or not responding well to the current situation. 

---

---

A nursing diagnosis can incorporate a physical change from an illness or injury or an emotional response to being sick.

Choosing a nursing diagnosis is 1 step in the nursing process. 

The nursing process has 5 steps:

1. Assessment – collecting subjective and objective data
2. Nursing Diagnosis – determining and documenting the nursing diagnosis
3. Plan – establishing goals and nursing interventions to reach the goals
4. Implement – carrying out the plan
5. Evaluation – checking to see the patient’s status and if the plan is moving towards the goals

The nursing process is most often used for individual patients. However, a nurse could apply the same process to a family, group, or community.

NANDA-I continues to refine the list of approved nursing diagnoses over time. New diagnoses are added while others are removed. 

The Twelfth Edition of NANDA International Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classifications, 2021-2023 was published in February 2021. Some of the nursing diagnoses from that edition include:

• Risk for impaired cardiovascular function
• Ineffective health maintenance behaviors
• Maladatpive grieving
• Delayed child development

How does a nursing diagnosis differ from a medical diagnosis?

A healthcare provider like a doctor or nurse practitioner can provide a medical diagnosis. These are usually focused on naming a disease, illness, or other health condition and generally match up with a diagnosis code that is used for insurance and billing. The medical diagnosis is typically determined by signs, symptoms, and other tests.

NANDA-I defines a nursing diagnosis as:

 “a clinical judgment concerning a human response to health conditions/life processes, or a vulnerability for that response…” that “…provides the basis for selection of nursing interventions to achieve outcomes for which the nurse has accountability.”

Overall, a nursing diagnosis looks at the whole person and how the health issue is affecting them. There is also a focus on the actions a nurse can take to help care for the patient. 

Nursing diagnoses are written into the nursing care plan. The care plan allows nurses to communicate with the healthcare team. 

What are the types of nursing diagnoses?

NANDA-I divides nursing diagnoses into four categories:

• Problem-focused – an unwanted response to a health condition
• Health promotion – opportunity and motivation to increase well-being and health
• Risk – likely to progress to a problem-focused response
• Syndrome – a cluster of multiple nursing diagnoses

NANDA-I publishes a handbook with definitions for each approved nursing diagnosis. The classification rules are also included for reference.

How to determine a nursing diagnosis

Establishing a nursing diagnosis is the second part of the nursing process. 

First, the nurse assesses the patient. This can include a medical chart review, health history, vital signs, physical assessment, listening to the patient’s description of the issue, and more.

Then, the nurse considers the most pressing issues, the desired outcomes, and the nursing interventions (actions) that could potentially help to resolve the problem. 

What are the 3 parts of a nursing diagnosis?

Each nursing diagnosis is written in the same pattern for consistency and to establish clear communication. A nursing diagnosis may include:

be

• Problem statement – NANDA label of the patient’s health problem
• Etiology (or related factors) – likely cause of the health problem or issue being addressed
• Defining characteristics – signs and symptoms from a nursing assessment that provide evidence for the chosen nursing diagnosis

The parts of the nursing diagnosis are then combined to make a cohesive statement using the following pattern:

Problem statement related to etiology as evidenced by defining characteristics. 

The final statement structure may differ depending on the nursing diagnosis category (see below). Some examples of possible nursing diagnoses include:

• Ineffective gas exchange related to bacterial pneumonia as evidenced by O2 saturation level of 85% on room air.
• Pain related to total hip replacement as evidenced by patient pain score of 8/10.
• Risk for infection related to compound fracture of right femur.
• Risk for falls related to changes in gait and balance.

The nursing diagnoses options are currently divided into 13 domains: health promotion, nutrition, elimination and exchange, activity/rest, perception/cognition, self-perception, role relationships, sexuality, coping/stress tolerance, life principles, safety/protection, comfort, and growth/development.

Following up on a nursing diagnosis

The nursing diagnosis is only 1 step in the nursing process. It is also the foundation of the nursing care plan. 

A nursing care plan is just what it sounds like—it is a written action plan for the nurse about the care they will provide for the patient. The focus is on actions that are in the nurses’ scope of practice.

Planning is the third step in the nursing process. NANDA-I has also standardized the actions and the goals that can be used in the planning process for nurses. The care plan also helps to ensure that nursing care is consistent for the patient even when different nurses are working.

Care plans are specifically made for each patient. They are tailored to the individual but focus on ensuring holistic care. There is some overlap with the nursing process, which may include: assessment, diagnosis, expected outcomes (goals), planned interventions, and evaluation (assessment of effectiveness). 

---

---

Next Steps

Understanding and applying nursing diagnoses can initially challenge nurses. However, having a consistent framework to use when choosing how to provide the best care for patients makes you a better nurse. It is a skill that develops over time.

During your orientation at your workplace, you should be introduced to the care plan tool that is used. Be sure to ask questions about how to customize it for your patient. 

You can also apply the nursing process to your own self-care as a nurse. Nurses are human and have challenges with their health, role, stress, and other domains of life. Nurses can set goals and choose from standardized interventions to improve their own well-being.