Can CNA pass out meds or have any other certifications in TN?

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Hello,

I am going to be starting a CNA class this month in TN. I was wondering if there are any other certifications I can get to go along with the CNA to up my pay. I heard somewhere that CNAs passing out meds make more per hour. I will be attending RN school next year and need some work to help pay for that. Just wanted to get the highest pay I can while going to school.

Thanks for any input.

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CNAs cannot pass out meds. I am currently a PCA which is the same as a CNA except I didnt take a class for it, but with the certification I think you will make a couple more dollars an hour.

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someone posted about a class going longer to teach cna's to pass, you may want to call around and ask.

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in the state of TN as a CNA you CAN NOT pass meds. Now in some states they have certified medicine technicians, but state of TN does not recognize them and to me that's not safe practice to have someone passing meds that don't know how the body and disease process works and most don't know when to hold meds and not.

As a CNA you will being doing basic patient care (bathes, lotion, dressing and undressing them), helping them with food, helping them with tolieting, and vital signs.

.... Now I was a CNA while in school, and the way I moved up and made extra money was I got into a Level 1 Trauma center, I took on extra responsibility and got paid about 2 dollars more. I was able to spike basic maintenance IVF, assist in sterile procedures with the doctors as a surgical tech, assist in level 1 transfusion and operation of the level 1 machine, monitoring ICP's and CPP's with A-Lines, prime omni lines and hot lines, do wound care, and change KCI wound vac dressings. the things I trained for wasn't worth the pay I got, but the experience will be forever with me and I will be ahead of anybody when I go back to get RN and be ahead of any new grad RN when I go back to apply for an ICU job.

with this being said. Not all hospitals will train you like they trained me. It just depends what connections you make and what doctors really like you that say great things about you. I just happened to have allot of great connections.

Working in a nursing home as CNA will bring you in the most money, hospitals generally pay less. Private duty is good as well and you can usually find time to study will working through agency doing private duty.

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Hello jt2007! Actually it was passed in July that CNA will be allowed to pass meds. You will be required to take an additional 75 hours of class. CNAs will not be allowed to pass narcotics and insulin I think is the other. I got this info from my CNA instructor (Oct 2009) who has been an RN for 30+ yrs and sits on the board. She said that they do not yet have any programs in place. So I'm not sure if this will help much in your case because of the timing. I do intend on staying in touch with her because I would like to tkae the additional hrs to pass meds. Also, I've found what CynicallyVexed says to be true...that LTC's pay the most money but hospitals will usually allow more learning experience.

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I work in a residential group home and Cna's and unlicensed personel can give meds after a medication certification class held by the state. I'm an LPN and give all the injections and g-tube meds/feedings. Some assisted living facilities are like this too. Technically a Cna can not give meds but, the big difference here is the that technically you are not "giving the meds", you are assisting the individual in "giving their own meds to themselves". Generally you don't get paid more for this though.

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what city and/or facility do you work in...if you don't mind my asking?

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Specializes in CNA/ ALF & Hospital.
Hello,

I am going to be starting a CNA class this month in TN. I was wondering if there are any other certifications I can get to go along with the CNA to up my pay. I heard somewhere that CNAs passing out meds make more per hour. I will be attending RN school next year and need some work to help pay for that. Just wanted to get the highest pay I can while going to school.

Thanks for any input.

The best I can telll you as a CNA myself, LPN's & RN's are the only ones alowwed to give out meds but if you are a CNA in Assisted Living you can assist with medications. When I worked @ a Assisted Living/Retirement, only a Medication Texch gave out the medication which I can guess is CNA but she may have been an LPN. Her badge just said Med Technition. I don't know if this helps but good luck with your certificatiobn chaalenge and I do mean a challenge.:nurse::yeah:

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Specializes in CNA/ ALF & Hospital.
in the state of TN as a CNA you CAN NOT pass meds. Now in some states they have certified medicine technicians, but state of TN does not recognize them and to me that's not safe practice to have someone passing meds that don't know how the body and disease process works and most don't know when to hold meds and not.

As a CNA you will being doing basic patient care (bathes, lotion, dressing and undressing them), helping them with food, helping them with tolieting, and vital signs.

.... Now I was a CNA while in school, and the way I moved up and made extra money was I got into a Level 1 Trauma center, I took on extra responsibility and got paid about 2 dollars more. I was able to spike basic maintenance IVF, assist in sterile procedures with the doctors as a surgical tech, assist in level 1 transfusion and operation of the level 1 machine, monitoring ICP's and CPP's with A-Lines, prime omni lines and hot lines, do wound care, and change KCI wound vac dressings. the things I trained for wasn't worth the pay I got, but the experience will be forever with me and I will be ahead of anybody when I go back to get RN and be ahead of any new grad RN when I go back to apply for an ICU job.

with this being said. Not all hospitals will train you like they trained me. It just depends what connections you make and what doctors really like you that say great things about you. I just happened to have allot of great connections.

Working in a nursing home as CNA will bring you in the most money, hospitals generally pay less. Private duty is good as well and you can usually find time to study will working through agency doing private duty.

Where IS this hospital you work at? I do know that Erlanger is a Level III trama and a teaching hospital in Chattanooga.:yeah:
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Where IS this hospital you work at? I do know that Erlanger is a Level III trama and a teaching hospital in Chattanooga.:yeah:

Erlanger is a Level 1 trauma facility, not 3

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