Cna Ii?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

I've heard of a lot of facility around here career pathing their CNAs...in other words, if you attend a class offered by the facility you will become a CNA II or CNA to CNA-A (CNA-Advanced), with a bit of a pay raise and slightly more responsibilities (IE- EKGs, blood draws, IV starts/removal, foley placement/removal, clearing IV pumps, dressing changes, accuchecks, etc.)

At the hospital where I work, CNAs simply take V/S, bathe patients, ambulate pts, and we can also bladder scan if signed off. I'm thinking of trying to convince management to pilot a program for CNA IIs, which brings me to my questions...

1. What duties can a CNA II perform at your facility that a CNA can't? Do you believe these added tasks should be left up to RNs/LVNs?

2. What does it take to become a CNA II at your facility? Besides a training course, is it based on years of experience, length of employment, or other factors?

3. If you are a CNA II, do you feel comfortable performing tasks that you didn't learn in your CNA training program?

4. Lastly, how would think is the best way to bring this idea up to management?

Thanks in advance for the input and advice.

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Specializes in ALF, Medical, ER.

I really wish they had a program like that where I work. I would love to be able to do IVs, foleys etc. I believe it would be great practice for me when I become a nurse. I've never heard of this type of program, but hopefully someone else has and can give more info. I would be interested in bringing this up to my manager.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

It would be a cool thing but I would not like to do it because it makes us the CNA more liable if something goes wrong. We already have a heavy patient assignment and now we have to worry about inserting IV's and Foleys.

Not only that most facilities will not have their aides do that because it makes them more liable if anything goes wrong. Serious Infiltration, hematoma, sepsis, etc.

Its too much of a liability thing. I could see it being done in an Emergency Room but on the patient care units no.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

Sorry, let me clarify. I didn't know of any CNA II's at hospitals around that could start IV or insert foleys. I too wouldn't want to do that. But there are some additional skills that CNA IIs can do, such as blood draws, accuchecks, REMOVING caths and IVs, gathering information for the initial assessment...etc; this is what they do at a facility across town from mine.

Does anyone know of anything else?

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I never heard of a cnaII but their is another name for it called pct that is short for patient care techs.If you are already a cna just pick up a phlebotomy class and an ekg class. It's another world for cna's and that also makes it easier to get jobs in hospitals. Try it you'll also see a nice raise in your pay.

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There are CNAII courses and if you look on the NC Board of nursing it will define the things they are allowed to do. It consists of fecal impaction removal, sterile dressing changes, i.v. fluid assists, tube feedings and trache care. I may be going for this too before RN -- not sure-- I already have my CMA and working on CNAI. The hospitals like to hire CNAIIs and start out with a little more around .75 to $1 more an hour. Hope that helps and good luck!!

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.
I've heard of a lot of facility around here career pathing their CNAs...in other words, if you attend a class offered by the facility you will become a CNA II or CNA to CNA-A (CNA-Advanced), with a bit of a pay raise and slightly more responsibilities (IE- EKGs, blood draws, IV starts/removal, foley placement/removal, clearing IV pumps, dressing changes, accuchecks, etc.)

At the hospital where I work, CNAs simply take V/S, bathe patients, ambulate pts, and we can also bladder scan if signed off. I'm thinking of trying to convince management to pilot a program for CNA IIs, which brings me to my questions...

1. What duties can a CNA II perform at your facility that a CNA can't? Do you believe these added tasks should be left up to RNs/LVNs?

2. What does it take to become a CNA II at your facility? Besides a training course, is it based on years of experience, length of employment, or other factors?

3. If you are a CNA II, do you feel comfortable performing tasks that you didn't learn in your CNA training program?

4. Lastly, how would think is the best way to bring this idea up to management?

Thanks in advance for the input and advice.

First off, a CNA or any unlicensed person can not legally touch an IV pump, not even to silence it becasue you are messing with medications which we are not certified in so clearing IV pumps or whatnot could never legally be in a job description for a CNA.:nono: That being said....it does happen.

I was hired right into a level II position from school so I do everything but start IV's. The only techs who can start IV's are in the ER at the hospital that I work at.

I learned how to do Foley's, d/c IV's, and do NG's and accuchecks in a very simple 1 1/2 day class.

I'm very comfortable doing these tasks. Comfort just comes with repitition no matter what your job title is.

In reality though, I don't often get the time to do the above duties because I am so busy doing other basic cares such as baths and vitals. I'd say the most common one that I do is to remove IV's.

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.
It would be a cool thing but I would not like to do it because it makes us the CNA more liable if something goes wrong. We already have a heavy patient assignment and now we have to worry about inserting IV's and Foleys.

Not only that most facilities will not have their aides do that because it makes them more liable if anything goes wrong. Serious Infiltration, hematoma, sepsis, etc.

Its too much of a liability thing. I could see it being done in an Emergency Room but on the patient care units no.

There is no added worry because tasks like these are to be delegated to you and are always the main responsibility of the RN not you. Your main responsibility is and will always be to do vital signs, CBG's (blood glucose checks), and baths in a position as such.

Also if you are going to be an RN, you have to get over your fear of the added responsibility because it will be all yours one day.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.
First off, a CNA or any unlicensed person can not legally touch an IV pump, not even to silence it becasue you are messing with medications which we are not certified in so clearing IV pumps or whatnot could never legally be in a job description for a CNA.:nono: That being said....it does happen.

I corrected myself above about starting IV's. This was confused with nurse techs, and CNA's can't do it anywhere that I know of.

However, a CNA may clear an IV pump if signed off by the facility as being competent. It is part of the patient's intake and output.

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My hospital lets us do veni puncture and start iv's with normal saline. The rule is nurse sets drip rates we just start and hang nurse starts drip and asseses. this only happens with NS I can't even D/C an iv that is still connected to a med bag when its done. I think I got a little leniency because im trained in phlebotomy and starting nursing school in the fall. Btw im also in the er... im really excited about nursing school so IV starts are like a treat for me. my nurses let me practice anything legal for me to do under their super supervision. Just nothing with meds or sterile procedures.

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.
I corrected myself above about starting IV's. This was confused with nurse techs, and CNA's can't do it anywhere that I know of.

However, a CNA may clear an IV pump if signed off by the facility as being competent. It is part of the patient's intake and output.

It just depends on where you work what you can do. In our facility, we are not supposed to be doing that even though we do.

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