Care Aide work vs. RN work?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey everyone! You all seem so knowledgable and diverse that this site seemed to be the best place to pose this question. I just finished my first year of nursing school in BC, which included a clinical component in a LTC facility.

I was wondering what your experience of care aide tasks and responsibilities vs. registered nursing responsibilities was. I sometimes hear that Registered Nursing is becoming more of a desk job a little all the time. I don't really mind this, I'm still gung ho about becoming a nurse. Do you find that in your role as an RN you don't do the same kind of physical tasks that care aides do? Of course nurses have a bajillion duties, I guess I'm wondering how or if they overlap with care aid or even LPN work? Do you find that nursing is becoming more of a desk sort of job?

I'm not saying or implying that one role is better than the other, I'm just wondering how they are the same or different.

Thanks!

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Specializes in LTC.

Im not a RN yet... but an LPN. In my opinion rns/lpns dont do desk work. we are at the desk charting, following on labs, taking off orders and etc.

I personally do toliet, bath, and provide adl care. I dont do it as much as I did when I was an cna, but when time lets me I do. However, I do know some rns and lpns that is above doing "aide work".

Now there is a difference between rns and lpns education and duty wise so the work dont always overlap. And yes the rn does delegate to cnas and lpns, however lpns are licensed nurses and practice on their own license. hope this helps!

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Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

desk job? *snort* Okay. Maybe in some areas that may be the case. For me?? In Critical Care there is the blurring of all lines.. I am the secretary, the ordertaker offer, the lab drawer, phone answerer, the housekeeper and linen remover, the glove restocker, the foley emptyer, the back rubber, poo cleaner, pericare giver, the lifting help along with RN specific duties. My bedside time is very high, and I only have two patients. My knees are shot! :) Ivanna

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiac Cath Lab.

I work in a specialty area where there are no aides. We (RN's) provide all the care, from physical assessments to airway management to medication titration to hemodynamic monitoring. And when the patient starts puking while supine on the cath lab table, you can guess who's there to catch it! :D

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Specializes in Long term care.

Well, I being a nursing assistant at an LTC...I sometimes do feel as though I have a ton of responsibilities compared to the LPNs that work there...but I also feel we all work together as a team ((most of the time)) to get the job done. I understand the nurses have a lot of other responsibilities that they need to get done that involves them being less active in the residents ADLs, but when I have 6 call lights on and I am cleaning up a huge blowout...it would be nice if someone would answer at least one of those call lights ((sometimes someone does, but it takes a lot of coaxing -_-; )) I think the situation is different in hospitals and home healthcare.....

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Specializes in IMCU/Telemetry.

You just touched on one of my pet peeves. I see many RNs who once they get RN after their name won't do "aide work". They seem to forget, they were trained how to do it for a reason. While it is the complete job of the aide, it is still a part of the RNs dutys. You are not excused from pt care. If a pt needs a bed pan, put them on it, don't look for an aide.

Sorry if I'm snappish, but as I said, it is a peeve of mine.

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Specializes in LTC.

Which leads me to a pet peeve of mine: calling care "aide work" or "lpn work", etc. It's all nursing care, folks. Different levels, yes, differentiated by scope of practice and credential, but it's still nursing.

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RN's sometimes may not do as much "aide work" as lpn's or cna's but the RN is responsible for the overall care of the patient and interpreting the patient's changes in BP, breathing rate, temp, etc is critically important to the patients survival and recovery from illness. RN's have a lot of responsability and the work level will depend on the area you are hired in. If a nurse has 2 critically ill patients then she will probably be more "hands on" but you can't possibly provide the same level of care with 6-8 patients.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-SURG,STICU.
Well, I being a nursing assistant at an LTC...I sometimes do feel as though I have a ton of responsibilities compared to the LPNs that work there...but I also feel we all work together as a team ((most of the time)) to get the job done. I understand the nurses have a lot of other responsibilities that they need to get done that involves them being less active in the residents ADLs, but when I have 6 call lights on and I am cleaning up a huge blowout...it would be nice if someone would answer at least one of those call lights ((sometimes someone does, but it takes a lot of coaxing -_-; )) I think the situation is different in hospitals and home healthcare.....

I am sorry but I have to disagree with this post. While a CNA has a lot of work in a nursing home it is nothing compared to the nurses' work. I worked many years as an aide (the time before lifts too) so I know what I am talking about. There are approx 30 residents on my hall and there are three aides and one nurse. While I am happy to help with ADLs when needed I can not stop my 9 am med pass unless it is an emergency. Otherwise, I go out of compliance and get my butt chewed by my supervisor. I also have all of the tx, orders to take off, doctors to call, labs to monitor, labs to draw, and anything else that happens not be assigned to a specific person somehow becoming my reponsiblity. Plus I have to monitor the CNAs work because if they are not doing something I get in trouble.

Somehow my CNAs get out of work on time everyday. However, I have to stay over anywhere from 1/2 an hour to 2 hours after my shift most days just to complete all of the paperwork that I never have time to do during my shift. My CNAs have time to do theirs during their shift and take a 15 min and 30 min breaks. If I am lucky I get 10 mins to eat my lunch.

Once again I love my CNAs and I could not get by without them, but do not try to tell me that I do less than them. My work most days is not as physical, but the stress and overwhelming responsiblity is doing worse things to my mind and body then the physical work ever did.

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Thanks for the replies guys :)

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Specializes in Long term care.
I am sorry but I have to disagree with this post. While a CNA has a lot of work in a nursing home it is nothing compared to the nurses' work. I worked many years as an aide (the time before lifts too) so I know what I am talking about. There are approx 30 residents on my hall and there are three aides and one nurse. While I am happy to help with ADLs when needed I can not stop my 9 am med pass unless it is an emergency. Otherwise, I go out of compliance and get my butt chewed by my supervisor. I also have all of the tx, orders to take off, doctors to call, labs to monitor, labs to draw, and anything else that happens not be assigned to a specific person somehow becoming my reponsiblity. Plus I have to monitor the CNAs work because if they are not doing something I get in trouble.

Somehow my CNAs get out of work on time everyday. However, I have to stay over anywhere from 1/2 an hour to 2 hours after my shift most days just to complete all of the paperwork that I never have time to do during my shift. My CNAs have time to do theirs during their shift and take a 15 min and 30 min breaks. If I am lucky I get 10 mins to eat my lunch.

Once again I love my CNAs and I could not get by without them, but do not try to tell me that I do less than them. My work most days is not as physical, but the stress and overwhelming responsiblity is doing worse things to my mind and body then the physical work ever did.

I did happen to say "sometimes"....I also am one of those CNAs that stays 15-20 minutes late....without my 15 minute breaks, and sometimes without my lunch break. I do understand that nurses have a ton to do...but if I am busy with another resident, and there are multiple lights on I can't be 2 places at once. I am not saying the nurses do less than the CNAs...I just feel that sometimes it is really stressful....

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In my opinion the RN's that I have experienced either make their day all about desk work and phone calls rather than patient care or they are doing as much charting as possible at the bedside while interacting with their patients. I think it's what you make of it really.

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