How to get more pay as CNA

Sweetbeth · Mar 8, 2016

For a CNA, your ACLS certificate will not make you competitive because the ACLS skill is beyond your scope of practice. Nobody will except you to answer a code or participate.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Mar 8, 2016

QMAP does not apply to hospital. Nurses administer medication. QMAP is for long term care of assisted living.

ACLS is not worthwhile as it's beyond the scope of a CNA. BLS is all that is needed

You need to look at the hospital CNA job descriptions to see what else is desired but there is rarely a pay increase for obtaining required certifications

SoulPsych · Mar 8, 2016

Thank you very much!

verene, MSN · Mar 8, 2016

Depending on specialty and hospital there may be a slight increase in pay for picking up specialty nursing assistant certification if available. E.g. Working in hospice and having a hospice and palliative care nursing assistant certification could bring a small (25-50 cent) raise in some organizations. You'll need to check the policies of your place of employment.

That being said if you want additional training just to have an increased knowledge base there are courses out there that CNAs can take. I took a course on dementia/memory care for CNAs and HHAs- no additional pay from my employer but it does make working with a primarily geriatric population - many of whom have dementia, easier on me.

BBboy · Mar 11, 2016

Working in a hospital will allow you to receive the highest pay, arguably. If thats not possible for you check out skilled nursing.

SoulPsych · Mar 13, 2016

You've all been very helpful thanks a lot!

Kystudentrn · Mar 14, 2016

Where I am only licensed staff can go to acls. I was a Cna in a hospital while going to nursing school and they did pay a little more then ltc but not much. The only way to raise your pay, is go to nursing school.

whitepawn · Mar 22, 2016

ACLS involves medication administration and the delivery of shocks to the heart, this is not CNA level stuff. BLS, basic life support CPR would be required. There are lots of different classes out there, you want something that reads "healthcare provider" and is endorsed by the American Heart Association.

As a CNA you may be responsible for chest compressions in a code. Possibly fetch and carry. EKG if you're trained up for ED. But not ACLS.

An up to date CNA license. And, if you're in Oregon, your CNA II for acute care. Granted, a lot of facilities will cover CNA II or CPR after hire, it's hard to say. Being good at getting a manual blood pressure is important. Being able to say "I can't hear anything." out loud to your nurse when you can't get that manual bp is even more important.

What you need to know is you'll gather data for nurses and doctors. You'll measure urine output. You'll get stool samples. You'll also round on your patients, ideally, every 15min, essentially doing a breathing check. You will run, you will be busy, but heaving around 250lb adults in an assembly line/cattle herding atmosphere and wondering where the hell the effective regulations are on human care will be gone.

Essentially, advocate for yourself. I worked agency as a "hospital only" CNA for 6 years and made $16-23.50/hr depending on shift, weekday, and location. When I did move to onstaff, I received $17.17/hr because they knew they needed to offer more to get me to cross over. When I started in a nursing home, it was $9.00. First hospital job: $10.50. 2 years later, jump to agency, then on staff again, then RN.

When I was getting the $17 a co-worker stressed about money asked how much I made. I told her. Wages transparency is a good thing. Her jaw dropped. She was making $12.50. We compared experience, figuring I must have more. No. We had EQUAL experience. She went to the manager, had a closed door discussion, and received a raise. I'm not saying such a thing will work the same for everyone, I'm just saying don't be shy about researching.