LTC/Nursing Homes do all the vitals? Do they still exist really?

[downsouthlaff]

I worked at 2 Nursing homes as a C N A and at both we did vitals and pulse ox and all of that. But I know someone who works at another facility who said the nurses do all the vitals always but every now and then the CNAs would get a temperature. I'm just intrigued about how the nurse can do all of the there work and possibly have the time to get all those vitals. With ABTs, Skills, Hospice, B/P shift. Why would a facility make the nurses do all these vitals when CNAs are high competent and trained?

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I prefer to get my own vitals, even though it's considered a CNA duty where I work.

I'm fine with them getting the routine, weekly vitals. But if a resident is on q shift vitals it's for a reason. A change in condition, a fall, or something. My checking the or vitals and giving them the once-over with my eyeball is kind of like a "mini-assessment". I only see most of them when Im medicating them, so this is my opportunity to dig a little deeper.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Like Kitsey I am in WI so maybe it is a state thing here. I don't believe it is considered out of CNA scope to do VS as our "older" ones still do, and I am pretty sure they do them at the hospitals and in home health. It must just be considered as part of the on the job training now.

[Mewsin]

While we are trained in our course to do vs we(aides) don't do vs at my facility The nurses all do their own.

[mstearns09]

Wow. CNAs have to get weekly vitals at the facility where I work, along with any fall follow-ups, abt temps, etc. However, I am about one out of three aides who know how to get a blood pressure manually. The rest rely on the vitals machine and if told to do it manually, they freak out. They know how to do it manually but are too lazy to do so. Manually is so much more accurate and faster as far as I'm concerned. Nurses do check some vitals but they leave it to the CNAs and med aides for the most part.

[downsouthlaff, LPN]

Kbrn 2002 perhaps V/S at not a part of the skills check off test in your state I think differtkntest have different skills check off test. But vital signs for the nurses aide is without a doubt part of the national curriculum whether your individual program or programs chooses to teach it or not.

[downsouthlaff, LPN]

And again even though some facilities don't expect you to do it, every CNA should know the ins and outs of the skill taking vitals. And these programs should still be teaching it, especially if the facilities in your area expect the CNAs to take them? Sounds logical right?

[funtimes]

This seems so odd to me that CNA schools aren't teaching vitals any more. Not only was it taught in the class I took like 5 years ago, but it was one of the things you were tested on for the state practical exam, and it was also probably the thing that most people failed on because you had to be within 2 for respirations, 2 or 4(I forget) for pulse, and if I remember it was like 2 for Systolic and Diastolic BP.

Maybe its turned into a liability thing, with schools not wanting to risk being held liable for students not being competent with vitals. I haven't oriented any brand new CNAs lately so im not sure if its still being taught around here.

[TurtleCat]

We went over vitals in my CNA class and practiced them a bit, however, funny thing is, neither of the two CNA jobs I've had required me or the other CNAs to take vitals! At the nursing home I'm at now, the nurses do the vitals and at the group home I was at, a nurse or HHA would come in once a week or so and do vital signs. So even though I'm getting a lot of CNA experience, that's one skill I still have yet to master. If I ever get a CNA job which requires me to do them, I'll probably need a bit of practice first since that's one skill where accuracy is so important.

[downsouthlaff, LPN]

Fun times it I'd odd. Even at the few nursing homes where the CNAs aren't primarily responsible for taking residents vitals, if the nurse has falls and new admits and is behind like crazy the nurse can still delegate to you to help with vitals. I mean there's no point in us being Nurses Aides if we can't assist the nurse when they get swallowed up.