Should a CNA make more than a PCA?

[purse]

Im a PCA, and at my work the CNAs get paid more than we do.

I am not a CNA, or certified as one, but as a PCA, we give meds, take vitals, serve meals, do toileting, grooming, showering, housekeeping, and pretty much everything else.

my question is why are the CNAs getting paid more than we do???

It seems to me that pouring and passing meds is a BIG responsibility and we should get paid more for it,

Im just curious if it is like this at other places too?

[Orange Tree]

I thought they were the same thing?:sofahider

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

my question is why are the CNAs getting paid more than we do???

This is an excellent question that deserves an honest reply. It is a question that should be asked of the management at your workplace because they probably know the answer.

[FrogKissingNurse]

they should have the same job discription however, cna is certified through the state. imo someone who is certified should make more money than someone that is not. also cna/pct should not be passing medications, you are not trained in medication administration. that is the job of the lpn/rn. your facility could get in a lot of trouble for having untrained personnel handing out medications.

[caliotter3]

Not necessarily. Depends upon the employer's policies, the specific position, requirements for that position.

[Calixan]

In the hospital I work at and the one I worked in before this one both had PCA's which are CNA's. Couldn't be a PCA without having a CNA license. I'm not sure how your job is doing things but around here they are the same so the pay is the same.

[MurrR]

they should have the same job discription however, cna is certified through the state. imo someone who is certified should make more money than someone that is not. also cna/pct should not be passing medications, you are not trained in medication administration. that is the job of the lpn/rn. your facility could get in a lot of trouble for having untrained personnel handing out medications.

depends on the type of facility and what the delegation laws of that state are. in my state, aides pass meds in assisted living after receiving on-site med training. after working as a med aide for six months you're eligible to take a cma class and become certified by the bon to pass meds anywhere.

nurses may legally delegate certain tasks to unlicensed staff according to the administrative rules of my state, things like checking blood sugars and administering insulin come to mind but it includes things like changing dressings on wounds and other forms of care that usually require a nurse's specialized knowledge. there is a strict procedure for doing this so that nurses can assure that the unlicensed staff are performing these tasks appropriately before the nurse signs off on it.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

also cna/pct should not be passing medications, you are not trained in medication administration. that is the job of the lpn/rn. your facility could get in a lot of trouble for having untrained personnel handing out medications.

the state where i live (texas) widely uses medication aides to administer oral medications and eye drops in nursing homes, group homes, and assisted living facilities. medication aides in this state are cnas who have additional certification to pass medications.

[soxgirl2008]

Where I am PCA's and CNA's are the exact same thing. In your state do PCA's have any kind of certification? If you don't that is the only thing I can think of, that since CNA's go through the time to get "certified" they get paid more. Not necessarily fair though.

[juliaann]

At my hospital having a state certification gets you a small pay increase if you are working as a nurse aide. It is not required at my facility, so some of our nurse aides are CNAs, and some are not. The ones who have gone to the trouble/expense to take a course and the state test get rewarded for that. Makes sense to me.

Do you have any certification as a PCA? If you do and if it is equivalent to or exceeds the clinical and classroom hours required to take the CNA exam in your state, you should have an equivalent/higher pay rate.