Can a CNA get in trouble if a patient gets out of bed and falls despite the bed alarm

agldragonRN · Mar 2, 2012

maybe yes. maybe not. is the patient alert and oriented and knows how to turn off the alarm? was this reported to the primary nurse and i hope an incident report was written. the cna and nurse must make sure the alarm is on.

student forever · Mar 2, 2012

It might matter as to the type of facility also. Hospital: most alarming! SNF, next in line. Assisted livng, next, and so on and so forth. . .

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2012

Unfortunately, CNAs can get in trouble for just about anything because they tend to be used as convenient scapegoats when things go terribly wrong.

northernguy · Mar 3, 2012

Depends on what you mean by trouble. Can you get fired for forgetting to put on a bed alarm? Yes. Would you lose your certification over it? No.

I think most facilities or hospitals would just give you a warning, or write you up. If a patient was badly hurt it might come to more then that if they needed a scapegoat and you had family members who wanted heads to roll. I still cant imagine you being investigated by the state for forgetting a bed alarm though, since the reality is these things happen all the time, not just by aides either, I dont know how many times Ive gone into a room after an RN was in there and put on a bed alarm they forgot.

student forever · Mar 3, 2012

What does it mean to be "written up"? I have heard the term but do not know what it means. What are the consequences?

IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN · Mar 3, 2012

What does it mean to be "written up"? I have heard the term but do not know what it means. What are the consequences?

Means you're given a written warning, which you sign & it gets put into your personnel file. Collect enough of them and you could lose your job. How many & the actual consequences really depends a lot on where you work - some places it's no biggie, some it's more serious. For me - I've gotten verbals at pretty much every job I've ever had (personally, I tend to use it as a gauge as to whether I'm about to get laid off - the fewer "talking to's" I get, the greater the likelihood my head's on the chopping block); think I've gotten one written warning in 23 years. Granted, this was in IT, but the principle applies in healthcare as well.

Taken as a general case, getting "written up" (written warning) is a step above getting "called on the carpet" (verbal warning); neither are particularly good signs, and both are considered disciplinary actions.

----- Dave