Work as an aide can be physically demanding and emotionally stressful. You have to spend many hours standing and walking, and often face heavy workloads. You must guard against back injury, because you may have to move patients into and out of bed or help them stand or walk and often do not have adequate help lifting or transferring patients.
It is important to be trained in and to follow the proper procedures for lifting and moving patients. There are also the hazards of minor infections and major diseases, such as hepatitis, but you can avoid infections by following proper procedures. Nursing assistants have some of the highest non-fatal injuries and illness rates for all occupations. Most of the problems are due to facilities being understaffed.