Need Info On A Pressing Issue, Please :)

[poodleH]

i wonder if i were to become a en, can i still work in a nursing home doing pca (personal carer) and kitchen work as well as sometimes having shifts to hand out medications, treatments etc as an en.

i have been told i can not be an rn and work as a pca and kitchen worker in a nursing home due to union rules.

i enjoy a variety of work and being paid the ongoing pay rates of whatever role i am doing at the time.

please tell me your thoughts and knowledge of the above. very much appreciated.

puzzled mind :wink2:

[talaxandra]

I can't say for sure, but I would think any restrictions on practice would come from concern that emploers would pay staff the lower rate while expecting performance in the higher role. I do know that, in the event there was an adverse patientoutcome, your practice would be judged based on your EN role regardless of the job you were performing at the time. I'm sorry I can't be more definitive about your options, but the Nurses' Board in your state should be able to answer your question. Good luck!

[nyapa, RN]

My husband is an EN, who applied for a job at a nursing home. He was under the impression he was going to be hired as an EN, but when he went to sign up, they were going to employ him as a PCA. He contacted the ANF who stated it does happen, and it seems they can't do much about it.

I really wouldn't do it. As Talaxandra said, you are qualified as an EN, and should anything happen, then you are expected to act legally within the domains of your competencies, not the role you have been employed as.

If you are really unsure, check with the Nurses Board in your state, and the professtional nurses union as well.

As an addit: RNs cannot work as ENs. I was trained as an EN; when I went to get my registration, it was one of the saddest things I had to do...handing in my Enrolment certificate, which I had worked hard for, and had held for over 15 years. Being an EN for so long had been part of my identity. Also handing it in meant for three days until my RN registration was approved, I was not a nurse at all!!!