LPN's to work as CNA's

Have been informed that when we are short a CNA the LPN must work a section. An RN will take her cart while the LPN works as a CNA. The facility will no longer use agency because of $$.

This facility uses agency quite often, sometimes several each shift.

This is causing great concern as some of us do not feel able to do the work required of a CNA.

It's clear that we have a staffing problem.

Has anyone else encountered this?

Can this be forced upon us or is this the norm?

I have been at this facility for 11 years and this is a first.

Most of our LPSs will help our CNAs when we are needed and we can.

We have been warned that if we refused a CNA assignment we would be written up and/or fired.

Please give your opinion. If I am wrong then I need to know.

Thanks

I was asked to perform a cna's assignment and I still got paid my nurse pay with none of the responsbility. I loved it

If a facility I worked at told me I had to work as a CNA, I would tell them to go ahead and get the workman's comp. papers ready, because my back could not withstand all the lifting CNA's do. I am not saying I don't do CNA work on occassion but repeated lifting and my back is hurting for a week. I went to school to become a LPN, not to avoid doing CNA work, but to avoid my job primarily consisting of lifting. Working as a CNA is what shot my back in the first place. Maybe I could handle it if they gave me one of those large back brace things I've seen some CNA's wear, but definitely not without some type of support.

When I was a tech in LTC, we had a shortage of techs on the night shift. But we had a alot of new LPNs, they worked as techs when needed and still got LPN pay. This didn't just apply to the new LPNs, RNs that had been there for a while did the same thing. Most of them said they really enjoyed it and didn't mind one bit. A couple of the older nurses really weren't physically able to clean and turn these dependent patients q2h. They were not forced to tech and were not written up or punished. It sounds like your facility should weight the options: let an LPN tech and injure herself, require worker's comp, and be out of work for a while, OR use an agency.

We were short some CNAs a couple of nights. In one instance one CNA abandoned myself and the other CNA on the floor. Just walked off.

I helped the remaining CNA with her last bedcheck. Had to. I could not, in good conscience, tell her she had to do it by herself. I wrote up the one who walked off and nothing was done.

The other instance, we had 1 CNA to show up in the whole building on the night shift. I had to call the ADON and SHE had to come out and work as a CNA. I also helped her with her bedchecks as much as I could, but I couldn't later on towards the end of the shift because I had to set up and give my early morning meds.

But if I had to do CNA work ALL day, and often, I would have to quit, because I am not physically strong enough to do it.

But helping out occasionally, on PMs and night shift, yes, I can physically manage that.

i remember when i was an aide in the hospital...if we were short of cna's? the lowest seniority rn works as a cna, but yet still get paid as an rn.

Been there/done that. If census is low and we are down CNAs then all the nurses are asked who wants to work as a CNA. I never had a problem with people saying no....THEY got their breaks, their lunch, and went home on time....the nurses pushing the med cart weren't so lucky.

Yes, years ago in LTC all the nurses (Lpn's and Rn's) were required to work as Cna's because of staff. shortage. It was a temporary thing, but I actually enjoyed it, and of course we recieved our regular nursing pay.

I agree, it would be tough on me physically now---but so is nursing!

Occasionally a nurse will work as an aide at her usual nursing wage but it's totally voluntary.

I've done it -and I had 16 frigging residents on day shift one day! I gave notice a few days later.If staffing is that tight it's time to look for another job.We worked with 3 cna's and 2 nurses on a 62 bed unit on the evening shift on a routine basis and it was awful.My co-worker and I would do PM care on maybe 8 to 10 residents a night.I knew those residents were NOT getting the care they deserved.And we where still charting at midnight.Also-many times as I was working "as a cna" with a full assignment the nurses would try to throw some of their duties my way and if an emergency did arise (like a code) I had to participate and then finish my cna assignment...CRAZY.The facility I am employed with now is a county run facility and staffing is seldom that bad.We have such good bennies that we have a higher retention rate then the private LTC's in this area.I pitch in as much as possible-I'll help the cna's with toileting,feeding,re-positioning as my duties allow.But it seems that the cna's are always waving "bye" to me at the end of the shift...:trout: But I do believe the resident's immediate needs come first-that's my priority.I've got plenty of time to pass meds such...

I'll do it from time to time and usually enjoy it, but not as a regular thing. As another poster stated, you get your breaks, lunch, and leave on time, all with your regular pay. It's called TEAM work.

I'll do it from time to time and usually enjoy it, but not as a regular thing. As another poster stated, you get your breaks, lunch, and leave on time, all with your regular pay. It's called TEAM work.

Same here, it doesn't bother me. We don't have enough CNA's as it is anyway.. If we have CNA's NCNS or call in, and we can't get another CNA to work the floor, I will call an LPN in and I will work the floor.. Its a break from all of the paper work..

We are so short staffed at our facility that LPN's are working as CNA's 3-4 nights a week.. I like those extra days too. I work M-T-W 12 hour shifts.. If they call and ask me to work on any of those other 4 days I don't care a bit to go in. Not to mention making $23.50 an hour is a big perk..

I think that our aides are underpayed for what they do.. Our aides base pay is $8.00 and our LPN base is $16.50