Archive for January, 2012

About the American Red Cross

January 10th, 2012

On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross (ARC). She had first heard of the International Red Cross while visiting Europe following the American Civil War. Helping during that terrible struggle, she realized the need for a society to help in aiding soldiers wounded in battle.

This need first began during the Crimean War of 1854 on the battlefields of the Crimea with an English nurse named, Florence Nightingale. She noticed the appalling conditions wounded men were subjected to and especially the unsanitary practices of the physicians. Soon her early efforts would evolve into the International Red Cross.

Barton believed that the European model would be beneficial in the United States and fought to create the organization of today- the American Red Cross. Beginning as an organization to help soldiers wounded in war, the Red Cross has evolved into an organization helping in numerous different capacities of humanitarian care and aid.

In 1882 after a lot of heated debate on the viability and necessity of having an organization like ARC, Congress finally ratified Barton’s dream and the American Red Cross was officially born. Barton would head the organization for 23 years fostering its growth and importance helping in its evolution.

The ARC has been instrumental in helping and comforting wounded soldiers in all the wars the United States has fought in since the Spanish American War of 1898 and will continue to minister to soldiers in all future conflicts.

Today the ARC has a variety of roles With over 97 million volunteers, the ARC is capable of answering the call and giving whatever aid is needed for any type of disaster. They offer medical services, humanitarian aid, disaster relief and prevention, classes in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR as it is commonly called, first aid training and classes available to anyone, clothing and food during emergencies, and disaster preparedness training.

Volunteers to the ARC come from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds. Irregardless of where a volunteer comes from all are dedicated to one purpose and that is helping others in times of need.

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American Red Cross Nursing Assistant Training

January 10th, 2012

You may have never thought of going to a local American Red Cross chapter to further your education, but the fact is the American Red Cross Nursing assistant training programs are some of the best NAT programs that you can attend.

American Red Cross Nursing Assistant Training Classes

There is no place better suited to instruct an individual in how to provide compassionate care to those in need of assistance. A nurse has a very busy job tending to the needs of all their patients. The needs of a patient include whatever the doctor has ordered to help them cope with or heal from the ailment they have, and these needs include the daily activities of feeding, drinking, bathing, going to the rest room, and simple exercises to keep muscles limber and capable of doing their jobs. That is what the CNA position in a healthcare facility provides.

They are the right hand for the nurse. They see to the patients every day needs, and they take vital signs, and they are there to watch and observe the patient so the nurse can do all the many other things that are necessary. The Red Cross knows how important these professionals are, especially in senior care living facilities. So they provide training courses that help students prepare to do the job in a professional manner.

Classroom Education

The first part of these programs begins with classroom learning to prepare the student for the job they are about to undertake. The classroom portion of these studies helps the student to gain knowledge in the medical language and terminology they will hear, and it helps them to learn about the privacy concerns of patients. It is very important that the person working as a CNA knows how to preserve the privacy and dignity of every patient they come in contact with.

Clinical Studies

After completing the classroom portion of the course the student will participate in clinical learning procedures that will be performed on real patients. The student will be supervised as they learn to accurately take the vital signs of a patient. They will also spend entire shifts at the facility performing the daily duties of a nurse assistant while the supervisor assures that the student is doing these tasks correctly and safely for both the patient and the student.

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