PA State Regs for AL'S

[Stacia]

IS anyone concerned about PCAS ans CNAS not haveing malpractice insurance, We are not nurses and are not insured. If something happens the facility will only think about saving themselves. Allso if a nurse is on duty and a CNA or PCA makes a mistake won't the nurse on duty's licence be at stake? I won't give meds I don't get paid enough to do a nurses job. They don't want to pay a nurses salary so they have unskilled staff putting residents lives in danger and sending them to an 8 hour class and make them feel good about themselves by giving them a title. It's not certification if you can't use it outside of the facility that issued it to you. A nursing home would never accept that.

I guess i'm wondering if anyone is worried about doing what a nurse goes to school for 4 years to do after 8 hours of training for a quarter of the pay? (These places are saving soo much money buy not hiring nurses). And are you worried about not having malpractice insurance?) I plan on going to nursing school, and have refused to pass narcotics and other meds.)

[suebird3]

Post moved to PA State Forum for more exposure.

Suebird

[MissJoRN, RN]

I wouldn't be confortable with it, either. Good for you for being mature enough to know your limits. It's easy to 'not know what you don't know'

I know when I was a CNA and did agency I ended up in ALFs from time to time. One in particular frightened me. There was an (read one) RN employed by the facility. She was responsible for nursing care provided 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year. I still wonder what nut would put her license on the line like that. She could have been liable for any med error or other injury that occured while she was at home, while she was in another city, etc. And this was the facility where the aide was pulling meds and turned to me (knowing I was in nursing school) and asked "Digoxin is an antibiotic, right?" I was stunned! Figures I got into trouble because I said "No, it's a heart medication, they should teach you that because it's important to check the persons pulse first"

ALFs are licensed so much differently than nursing homes. I've never heard about the liability other than that a licensed person has to "oversee" activities. I believe (but what do I know!) that if an aide is following protocol he/she can't really be sued... they can't sue an aide for malpractice because that requires a license or forgery of a license. However, the facility will be worried about itself only and may find other ways to charge the aide. Any one know of any legal cases??