Unlicensed assistance personnel (UAP) are paraprofessionals who help people with physical disabilities, mental disabilities, and other health care needs. Nursing aides, also known as nursing aides, certified nursing aides (CNAs), geriatric aides, unlicensed care staff, nurses or hospital attendants, provide practical care and perform routine tasks under the supervision of medical and nursing staff. Specific tasks vary, and nursing assistants are responsible for many aspects of patient care. They often help patients eat, dress and bathe.
They also answer calls for help, deliver messages, serve meals, make beds and tidy up rooms. Nursing aides (or nursing assistants) are unlicensed individuals certified by New York State who play an integral role in the health care team in long-term care or skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes). They provide non-medical services and supports to residents who need help with activities of daily living. They help to safely and effectively care for residents under the direct supervision of licensed professional nurses.
Care is provided to people who reside in long-term care facilities and who need physical and psychosocial care or rehabilitation. The functions of a nursing assistant vary depending on the needs of residents and individualized nursing care plans.
