Who provides basic patient care, including bedmaking and recording vital signs?

The role of Nursing Assistants, often referred to as Nursing Aides, is fundamentally centered around providing essential care to patients in various healthcare settings. They are key members of the healthcare team and their responsibilities include assisting with basic patient care tasks such as bedmaking, helping patients with daily living activities, and monitoring and recording vital signs like temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate. This work serves as a crucial foundation that supports nurses and other healthcare professionals in delivering comprehensive patient care.

In contrast, Geriatric Aides or Assistants typically focus on elderly patients and may have a narrower scope of duties primarily related to supportive care. Registered Nurses have a wider range of responsibilities that includes complex patient assessments, developing care plans, and medications administration, which goes beyond the basic tasks performed by Nursing Assistants. Surgical Technologists play a specialized role, primarily involved in assisting during surgical procedures, which does not include direct patient care tasks like vital sign monitoring or bedmaking. Therefore, Nursing Assistants are accurately identified as the professionals tasked with these fundamental patient care duties.