Cnas getting hired at grade schools

Editorial Team / Admin · May 18, 2015

Hello,

Good to see you posting.

We moved your thread to the CNA forum for the best response.

mvm2 · May 18, 2015

I can not think of many reasons a school would hire a CNA. Is it possible that the school is a special school for special needs children. Then maybe they hire some CNAs as helpers for the children's ADL needs.

Also maybe they are CNAs that work with children with special needs and they go to school with them. Like private care CNAs.

Otherwise since they befriended you on Facebook just simply ask them is curiosity is that strong. You could simply say I was wondering what you do for work because you never knew CNAs worked at schools

hookyarnandblanket · May 18, 2015

They could be teaching assistants or paraeducators.

betm, CNA · May 19, 2015

This is very interesting. I'm not sure what they might do for the school but if you find out from your FB friends, I'd love to know.

Madras · May 19, 2015

My thought is maybe as a "Health Aide". My kids school district hires them. They usually work in the school nurse/health office. Minimum requirements for the job is CPR and First Aide certified. They're the nurses helping hand around the office.

jedi-medic · Jun 8, 2015

I've seen occasional job ads, in the Colorado Springs area, that hire CNAs, EMTs, and MAs as "health para proffesionals". Based on the job description, it looks like they provide very basic medical care to students. Here's an example add I found:

HEALTH PARAPROFESSIONAL - Colorado Springs, CO - Indeed Mobile

babeinboots, MSN, NP, CNM · Jun 8, 2015

I know of two girls in Chicago that have recently been hired at different grade schools. They've hung out with my crowd of friends but not exactly friends. They've added me on Fb so I've seen each girl talk about their new job. I know them well enough to know they went to school for cna or phlebotomy. I could just ask them but I don't want to offend them. I'm going to school for pct & I'm just wondering what they could have possibly been hired on for? I'd like to know so that I can have this in mind for future reference & know that I have a variety of positions I can too apply for.

I am a CNA and I work for a school district with students with severe special needs at preschools, elementary, middle, and high schools. We do a wide array of care for the students, including G-tube feeding, suctioning, changing the students, and assisting with IEP goals. A CNA certification is required, although I know of a few LVNs in the same position as me. We all work under the license of the school/district RNs.

The CNAs in the health/nurses office have a different job description as we do. They don't perform as many skills as we do and typically make less than us. Their duties usually entail assisting the school nurse with vision, height and weight screenings and caring for/ calling parents when students become ill.

mvm2 · Jun 9, 2015

I never knew CNAs to be able to handle gtubes and suctioning. I thought that was a straight nurse's area and not in the scope of practice for a CNA.

The rest of the things listed makes sence that a CNA can help with.

WCSU1987 · Jun 9, 2015

I seen a few openings at school's for CNAS/Nursing Assistants it was a weird opening it was a county job worked assisting the nurse at different schools through out the county. What you do ha don't know.

WCSU1987 · Jun 9, 2015

EMTs can do suctioning

babeinboots, MSN, NP, CNM · Jun 11, 2015

I never knew CNAs to be able to handle gtubes and suctioning. I thought that was a straight nurse's area and not in the scope of practice for a CNA.
The rest of the things listed makes sence that a CNA can help with.

That's what I though at first too. We are trained by the RN and have to be signed off for significant training and demonstrate the procedure before performing the procedures independently.

We work under the license of the RN, similar to how student nurses are able to administer medication, give injections, and perform trach or g-tube care. They are practicing under the license of their clinical instructor and similarly, they cannot perform the skills on patients until they have been signed off for demonstrating proper performance of the skill.