Peds CNA?

[mistiffy]

Hi all, I am a pre-nursing student and am also about to be getting my CNA. I was looking at some of my local hospitals job openings and I noticed one was for a CNA in the Peds unit and I was just wondering, what are a peds CNA responsibilities, etc? When I get my RN I want to work in peds, nicu, or l&d, so I just thought if I got this job as a cna on the peds floor of this hospital, then it may put my foot in the door for when I graduate. Any thoughts on this would be helpful! Thanks!

[navynurse06]

We don't have CNAs on my unit but I"m just guessing that the responsiblities would be vital signs, helping pt with adls, etc. Just the same duties as on an adult ward. If you are interested in working in peds after graduation than this would be an excellent way to gain expereince and find out if you really like peds.

[shannonFNP, BSN, MSN, RN]

I work as a peds CNA in Waco, Texas. My duties are vitals, assisting with ADLS (sometimes mom will be out and you'll have to give infants baths or feed them occasionally). We do vitals q4 hours with blood pressures q8 for kids under 3. It may not be as "much" as other floors, but your duties are a lot more tedious and you sometimes have to play mind games with the children to get them to do what you are needing them to. Also I do a little bit more than other floors when setting up rooms because children require more. And finally, a lot of my job is assisting the parents. They can be a real pain in the booty :)