As a CNA can I volunteer to take blood pressure?

[Cathylady]

My mom lives in a 55+ apartment. It is not Assisted Living but it does provided activities and free transportation and the like. It's a beautiful facility with rooms for all sorts of things like a computer room, card room, library, fireplace room, etc.

I was wondering if as a CNA I would be allowed to volunteer to take blood pressure for the residents there legally?

Thanks,

Cathy

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

What are you going to do with the information? You cannot interpret a blood pressure reading? How would you handle questions from residents as to whether their reading is high or low? Whether they are on the correct medication? If their medication is working or needs to be changed? Have you spoken with the nurse at the facility (most ALF's have a nurse in charge)?

CNA's are intended to work in conjunction with a licensed nurse. What will you do if a resident who thinks they have stellar blood pressure reading of 220/110 and a headache?

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I thought learning how to take a manual BP was a skill taught in the CNA curriculum?

[Cathylady]

I just wondered. I thought that since Walmart has the blood pressure machine and folks can use that if they wanted to then what would be the difference.

As I said, it is not an assisted living facility simply an apartment complex for 55+ there is no resident nurse on the premises.

I get the picture.

Thanks.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Sure it is a CNA skill, but what is to be done with the information obtained? An RN has clinical experience and can make nursing recommendations. A CNA cannot make such recommendations as it is beyond scope of practice. In an office or facility, when a CNA gets a high or low reading generally the protocol is to inform the patient's nurse. Who is a CNA volunteering to take blood pressure without medical oversight going to report an abnormal value to? Its a big can of worms to open.

On the other hand, if the facility nursing staff is looking for volunteers to take blood pressures with a nurse on site, that would be different. The majority of CNA's are more than capable of taking manual blood pressures at a health fair, or other setting. (I say majority because I did encounter a group of CNA students who were never taught to take manual blood pressures, only automated and had significant difficulty in a clinical rotation on a floor that only had manual BP cuffs.)

[Cathylady]

Yes, you're right. There would be no RN to report the results to so I see the complexity of volunteering.

Thanks for your knowledgeable insight!

Cathy