From registered nurses to occupational therapists, AmeriStaff Home Health Services draws on the talents and qualifications of individuals across a wide range of disciplines to provide the best in-home health care in Southeast and West Michigan areas. Among our dedicated staff are a number of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) who provide compassionate attendant care for our clients.

Why Choose AmeriStaff Nursing Services

As important as they are, our nursing services are only the tip of the iceberg. From skilled therapists to a team that helps families navigate the morass of insurance plans and requirements, we work hard to do right by our patients every day. We know the level of trust that you place in our staff, and we promise that you’ll never get less than our best. For home health care services with a difference, get in touch with AmeriStaff Nursing Services today.

We’ve mentioned our collaborative approach to patient care, but there’s another collaborator who deserves mention: you. All of our efforts, from education to patient care, and from building rapport to helping our patients navigate insurance rules and regulations, are to one end: ensuring that our patients live life to the fullest, no matter where it may find them. To see how we can contribute to your care and peace of mind, contact AmeriStaff Nursing Services today.

Trusted Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses in Southeast Michigan

When you or a loved one need in-home nurses, you have every right to expect qualified individuals who are always ready to give their best. Getting the right care requires a team effort, which is why AmeriStaff Nursing Services relies on the skills and talents of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) in addition to our certified nursing assistants (CNAs) therapists, and other home care professionals in Southeast and West Michigan areas.

Meet Our Team

Our RNs play an important part in many facets of the care we provide, and if you’re receiving care from us, you may well meet our LPNs too. Even though both are nurses, their responsibilities, and the training they received before placement, are a bit different.

What Do LPNs Do?

An LPN can perform any of the duties of a CNA, but there are some tasks they perform that would fall outside a CNA’s responsibilities. These include (but are by no means limited to):

• Assisting with activities of everyday living, like bathing, dressing, and feeding
• Administering medication and monitoring for side effects
• Monitoring vital signs
• Providing wound care
• Monitoring patients’ progress, as well as their mental and emotional well-being
• Communicating patient needs and concerns to RNs and physicians on the care team

What Do RNs Do?

You could think of an RN as the next step up the ladder, and in fact, many RNs were LPNs on their way to earning their RN qualifications. But as with their LPN colleagues, RNs take on an added layer of responsibility. When medical equipment (like an EKG) is needed, it’s often an RN operating it. RNs also collect samples and perform diagnostics.

Just as importantly, this is where the lines start to blur between nurses and doctors. That’s because RNs are a vital link in drawing up treatment plans and helping patients and their families adhere to them. They also take an active role in administering and adjusting the course of treatment.

Training & Experience

In much the same way that LPNs and RNs have different responsibilities, the educational path they take to arrive there also differs, even though both are regulated by Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and each must pass both a drug screen, fingerprinting, and a criminal background check. Furthermore, both must also complete 25 continuing education hours before each biannual license renewal.

LPN Qualifications

LPNs combine both classroom and practical experience as part of their education, which typically lasts for about a year. Common courses include anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, nutrition, and demographic-specific courses in subject areas like child nursing, geriatrics, and mental health. Competence is assessed by both written and practicum evaluations.

RN Qualifications

For registered nurses, the training and requirements are more in-depth. Here, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from an accredited program is required, and the candidate must pass the NCLEX-PN. There is more of a focus on technology, information systems, research skills, and health assessment. What’s more, RN programs also tend to involve an area of specialization, such as community nursing, mental health, or gerontology.

LPN and RN Benefits

Given the knowledge, skill, and compassion each member of our staff brings to their job every day, the benefits in addressing a diverse range of patients’ needs — accident recovery, specialized therapy, memory care, and attendant care to help with the activities of day-to-day life — are clear. However, we would also point out that our patients are not the only ones to benefit. Our services are also a reinforcement and a respite for family caregivers, as well as those who want the best care for their loved ones when they cannot be there, whether because of their responsibilities or geography.

Their extensive training aside, our nurses are also licensed, registered, and certified, as well as being insured and bonded. This is common to most nursing agencies in Southeast and West Michigan areas. So what makes our nurses different?

Some things can’t be taught in a classroom setting. They come by experience, and by temperament. The rapport built between our staff and those they serve, the compassion and critical thinking they bring to patient care, their professionalism and attention to detail, and a commitment to cultural awareness set them apart.

Our Placement Process

Whether the care you or a family member requires will involve a CNA or an LPN, you’re guaranteed to meet an RN as part of our intake and placement process. That’s because treatment plans are a collaborative effort involving an RN, a caseworker, the patient’s primary care physician, and other specialists on our staff. We take this approach in order to ensure the highest level of care for our patients from their first day to the day that they’re ready to leave our care.

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What Do Certified Nursing Assistants Do?

Our certified nursing assistants help with a wide range of patient needs as part of their everyday duties.

• Assisting with daily activities like eating, bathing, and grooming
• Ensuring proper diet
• Helping with the timing and proper dosage of medications
• Alleviating discomfort and preventing bedsores for patients confined to bed
• Ensuring proper activity and exercise, assisting where needed
• Monitoring vital signs, patient behavior, and overall well-being, with special attention paid to changes in these patterns
• Reporting patient progress to RNs and the patient’s physician

CNA Qualifications

That’s a lot of responsibility to rest on any individual’s shoulders, which is why the state of Michigan holds CNAs to a high standard through standards set by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Each CNA candidate must be at least 18 years of age, must pass a criminal background check, must read and write English fluently, and must provide proof of a TB test and current immunizations.

The state further requires a total of 75 hours of training; 59 hours of this takes place in the classroom, while the remaining 16 is taken up by practical skills instruction. CNAs typically work under the supervision of either a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or registered nurse (RN).

What Our CNAs are Known For

As high as Michigan’s standards are, ours are higher still. Before our CNAs set foot in a patient’s home, they’re subjected to a CNA employment screening for their credentials, licensure, and registration. Having done that, our in-home CNAs are bonded and insured. Then — and only then — do they pass through a final phase, our “Personality Matching” program. This process accounts for the personalities of patients, families, and caregivers, the better to ensure a good rapport and optimal patient outcomes. Furthermore, our CNAs — like the rest of our staff — are required to undergo supplemental training so their skills are always sharp and their practices compliant with the latest standards.

Our Placement Process

Our CNAs are the pride of our organization. However, they’re often only the most visible part of your, or your loved one’s, treatment. In order to best serve our patients, we customize a treatment plan that starts with a consultation among our caseworkers and RNs and your physician. That treatment plan may involve other team members and specialists, from RNs to speech language pathologists to physical therapists, to ensure that your needs are met and your expectations exceeded.

CNA Benefits

Our certified nursing assistants’ skill, dedication, and compassion benefit patients and their families alike. Our clientele is as diverse as our skill set, encompassing seniors, individuals with disabilities, accident victims, and many others. What’s more, we provide flexible scheduling that can cover periods as short as a brief stint of respite care to ‘round the clock coverage.