CNA in a telemetry unit

[amycna]

Hi everyone! I am a new CNA. Just got my certification a couple of months ago, so I've been job hunting ever since. I have worked in patient care for about 3-4 years, but I'm thinking people still see me as "new" since I've only been just recently certified.

I am going for an interview in a couple of days, at a local hospital, for a CNA position in the telemetry unit. Can anyone tell me what to expect? I've only worked in a personal care home and in assisted living. I am a bit nervous, but also up for a challenge. Looking forward to broadening my experience and learn new things.

Thanks for any advice. It's very much appreciated! :)

[northernguy]

Same thing as any other CNA job, only the patients are hooked up to telemetry. You will obviously have to get your BLS certification since your patients will usually have cardiac problems, but I think any hospital cna job requires BLS.

You probably wont be required to learn anything more about ECGs beyond placing the leads on someone, but it wouldnt hurt to take a class on EGC interpretation as it would be a good opportunity to learn. Maybe they will teach you to do 12 leads, but where I work the RTs do that.

I think some big hospitals also have patients on vents in the telemetry unit, and I would assume this is a fairly big hospital if they have a unit devoted to telemetry patients.