Does your ICU have CNA's?

[Rose44]

In my ICU we have lost two full time CNA's and I have just found out they are not replacing them. We are a very large ICU with high acuity patients. Administration is telling me that most ICU's don't have CNA's anymore. I find that hard to believe and was curious to hear if this is true. If you could also let me know what state you work in this will help me identify id this is a national problem.

[JeffTheRN]

Connecticut - 16 Bed MICU/SICU. 8 bed CTICU. 1 CNA (PCT). They do all the blod draw sticks, temps and finger sticks. They also help with turns and general patient care.

[gassy2be]

We don't have any and apparently have had any for years. We have tried to hire some PRN but they hardly get utilized because we're used to doing everything ourselves. I don't mind it; I feel like it helps my assessment skills and keeps me from missing anything. We have a 15 bed CVICU and 23 bed ICU.

[gassy2be]

We don't have any and apparently have had any for years. We have tried to hire some PRN but they hardly get utilized because we're used to doing everything ourselves. I don't mind it; I feel like it helps my assessment skills and keeps me from missing anything.

Haven't** had any.

[Nalon1 RN/EMT-P, BSN, RN]

12 bed general ICU, 1 PCA (patient care attendant, not a CNA) for the unit (most days).

They do finger sticks, help with turning, changing, transferring to the floor, empty foley bags, act as a unit secretary plus a ton of other things.

Crazy to not have one, even in our smaller unit.

[Medic24]

16 bed MICU/SICU - 1 cna/monitor tech and 1 cna

12 bed CVICU - 1 cna/monitor tech

[JeanOfAllTraits]

Three units, a 25 bed SICU, 18 bed MICU, 16 bed CVICU. MICU and SICU have 2 CNAs on and CVICU has one on. They help with turns, restocking linens, ordering supplies, doing baths, stripping room after a transfer and grabbing floor beds for transfer among so many other things. We'd sink without our CNAs.

[That One Nurse]

We have a 30 bed med/surg and 30 bed CVCU(15 ICU level beds, 15 stepdown). In ICU on days we have a unit clerk, a CCT (critical care tech) that helps with supplies/equipment and assist during procedures and 3 CNAs (if we are staffed. Our CNA 1:1s come out of the floor staff). On nights we have a resource RN, a CCT and 1-3 CNAs depending on staffing. We also have a lift team that rounds every two hours through out the house that helps with turns on days and nights. Our traveler RNs always are shocked by our staffing. I run my tail off each shift and have NO idea how you all get stuff done with less help.

[Cook26]

My hospital has 9 ICUs, about 130 critical beds in total (around 800 beds hospital wide). My ICU has twelve beds and we always staff with at least one tech, but two if staffing is adequate. The other ICUs do the same.

[guest769224]

500 bed hospital in Utah. 8 separate ICUs. Each ICU has their own CNA/tech/huc.

I work in one of them and we have 2 techs on for day shift and 1 overnight

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

20 bed ICU, mostly trauma/neuro, some general surgical, and a handful of CVT surgical. We do have CNAs, and recently hired a couple more. In the past, if our census dropped below 10, we lost our CNA, but for the upcoming year our manager made the case to keep one at all times.

Big reason is that we're working very hard to reduce our pressure ulcers under devices. We have a LOT of devices (collars, TLSOs, halo vests, etc.) and a fair amount of pts on strict spinal precautions. Couple that w/ hemodynamic instability and the prioritization, use of pressors, etc. and we've had way too many pressure ulcers. So one thing that we've started doing is removing all devices q 8 hours and checking underneath for impending or early skin breakdown. We help each other, call the RR RN to come help, etc. but it is time consuming. Having the CNAs there reduces a bit of the drain on nursing time.

Not to mention, just turning some of these people is a 3-5 person job.

[NPOaftermidnight, MSN, RN, NP]

16 bed SICU here. We have techs but unfortunately they seem to get floated more often than not. We usually have one scheduled but occasionally there are two. When they are around, they get all the fingersticks, help with turns, empty foleys at the end of the shift, stock rooms with linens/supplies, assist with traveling to scans, take patients to the floor, and answer call lights. We can function without them but life is MUCH easier when they're around. Especially when we have trauma patients on CTLS precautions in traction who require 5 people for turns.