CNA's in the NICU

[daisy16]

Hello everybody. I am going to be taking a CNA course this term while a senior in high school and I wanted to know whether or not the NICU has CNA's? If so what are their duties and do they need prior experience? Also do you know what the beginning pay is? thanks!!!!

[Heather333]

Hi Daisy16!

We have a few CNA's in our NICU that function as our secretary/ tech. They do order entry, assist with cleaning equipment, restocking supplies, record info during an admission. Every once in a while they will assist with feeding a baby; it's not a lot of patient care.

Here in FL where I work, I think the starting pay is probably about $9/hr. You'd have to check at local hospitals in your area and see.

Good Luck to you!

Heather

[peaceful2100, BSN, RN]

Where I am at there is a hospital that just recently started hiring Patient care techs in the NICU BUT the nurse manager will only hire nursing students and she prefers senior nursing students although she did hire a girl who is an nursing major who did not actually started the nursing classes yet and is a sophomore in college over the summer. I worked in the NICU over the summer and let me say I love it there but it was really boring as a patient care tech because we could not have much responsibility which is perfectly understandable. I had to leave because I can't handle something where I did not feel need much. It looks really wonderful as a RN from what the RN's there was telling me. I am seriously, seriously thinking about going there after I graduate in May 2003.

I made $12.50 and hour plus the night differential so I was making $13.25 an hour for nights when I was working there. But only senior nursing students who are patient techs get that amount that is across the hospita and not just in the NICU.

All NICU's don't have CNA's/Patient care techs though. I know a few hospitals in my area don't have them.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

We don't use them anymore. It came to be that the CNA would have 3 babies and they couldn't do the assessment, place an ng, give meds or anything really except PO feed we decided to do away with them because it was like having 6 kids! I wish we had them to help stock, pour/draw up formula and things like that. That would be a HUGE help. On the peds floors they are able to do more, but our ICU's don't use them.