Future of PCT

Hospitals can afford them because they do not pay BSN nurses any more than they would pay an ADN nurse. At least that's been my experience.

Well that stinks! Why do ADN's shell out $30+ thousand dollars to get a BSN not to mention tons of man hours in school and doing homework? I figured it was for a much higher paycheck.

Where I live BSN's don't make any more than ADNs. I know at some facilites BSNs do make more, but it's usually not more than a couple dollars per hour. The reason people go back for the BSN is to increase their knowledge and some job opportunities are not open to ADNs (management, public health nursing, school nursing, etc.). Plus it makes you more competitive in many areas. With the economy the way it is hospitals can be picky and may prefer BSN over ADN. It is not costing the hospital anymore to hire a BSN over an ADN. Also, not all magnet hospitals no longer hire ADN or LPNs. Many prefer BSN, but I know ADNs still getting hired at magnet facilities.

CNA/PCTs won't fill the void because they don't have the education or licensure to perform skills that LPNs and ADNs do. An ADN is an RN with the same scope of practice as someone with a BSN. The education is slightly different, but the license you hold from the state is not. They hold the same RN license and do the same tasks on the floor. CNAs couldn't fill the void because they don't have the education of an RN and are not licensed as an RN. Magnet hospitals want BSN nurses because there is a strive towards higher education, and having CNAs do the duties of an ADN nurse would be a step backwards as far as striving for higher education goes. Yes, hospitals can pay CNAs much less, but if you were giving a CNA the responsibility of an RN there would need to be a pay increase..not to mention that CNA programs would need to be turned into at least a 2 year program to teach them all the skills and knowledge an RN needs to know, and then wouldn't they basically be an ADN anyway?

An ADN is an RN and a BSN is an RN. I don't see them training CNAs/PCTs to do the exact same job as an RN but without a license. I work as an ER tech with my CNA cert, and I can draw blood and I know some facilities let PCTs take out foleys and such, but there is much more into being an RN than the "skills" part of it and I don't see hospitals giving CNAs that responsibility.

The Pct replacing the LPN in Hospital. Yes CNA are just still CNA but in some state there are two level. Cna 1 is just a cna but CNA 2 has replace the lpn. I am currently in training now and I can tell you its higher education. Its already happening hospital are pushing out cna that do no go take the pct course and become nationally certified. At least in maryland anyway. Even nursing homes have begin to push out the lpn.

A CNA replace an ADN? Are you serious? You are comparing an 8 week course and a skills test(CNA), to a year of science and math pre reqs and then 2 years of nursing specific classroom, lab and clinical training followed by the NCLEX(ADN)?

As for PCT vs CNA. Im a CNA, have worked as a "CNA"(my name tag said CNA) and work as a PCT(my name tag says PCT). There is very little difference between the two aside from a few relatively easily learned skills which most hospitals teach after the person is hired(usually an experienced CNA).

No, what they are doing in my area is preferring to hire BSNs unless they have highly educated RN. The BSNs don't get paid more. They aren't increasing the PCTs or CNAs. In fact, they are replacing the unit clerks with a hybrid of CNA/unit clerk.

The only BSN nurses that are paid more are the ones in administration or quality assurance. Usually they have MSN degrees though.

Some are adding nurse externs, but the nurse externs on the floor function like PCTs and are replacing the PCTs. The floor nurse externs do the same thing whereas the ER they function like a PCT but can insert straight caths and foleys, but the PCTs in the outlyin rural hospitals could do that.

Around here, the PCTs, NAs (they don't use the term certified), and Nurse Techs are all the same job and is dependent upon what hospital you work at. They also use different qualifications like CNA, 1st semester nursing student, medical assistant or EMT for the PCTs. The nurse extern requires 2 semesters.

Our nursing homes hire LPNs over the RNs because it is cheaper. Our state allows the LPNs to do teaching and they only really have the RN for the primary assessment and some IV drugs.