Hospital CNA.

[April_Showers]

I just finished my CNA class and will be testing in a couple weeks. I currently work in LTC as a PCA, but since I have been working there I realize that I want to do acute care. I have been looking at current jobs at the hospitals around and they all say what unit you would be working...but I'm not sure what each unit really is and what I might encounter there. Can someone explain the basic different units to me? Thank you for your help.

[bigboi]

Well to be quite honest, there are only nuances from floor to floor in respect to CNA work in the hospital. On a cardiovascular floor, the CNA might do EKGs, in the ER, they might draw blood and do urinalysis, on a surgery floor you work with CMP machines, but ultimately, the general duties of CNA are the same on any floor with the few exceptions aforementioned. CNAs are expected to take the patients to the bathroom, bathe them and soon on. I definitely like working at a hospital because of those few extra things a CNA can do. Withal, if your end goal is to become a nurse then its the logical place to work for.

[funtimes]

There are so many different possible units that I would just google the ones you see job postings for. Bigger hospitals have more specialized units, smaller hospitals have fewer units and a greater variety of patients on each unit.

Where I work you just have the ED, Med/Surg, OB, and ICU. OB is the only unit you are going to generaly see a particular patient population- Pregnant mothers and their newborns, all the other units can see anything and everything, including pediatrics.

As someone else mentioned, a CNA is a CNA, regardless of the unit, the job is pretty much the same aside from a few additional skills or duties. It doesnt even vary much from LTC to be honest, except maybe working in a hospital is a bit easier and you might do a few easy to learn things LTC aides dont do.