Please Excused my ignorance.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Mar 8, 2011

it just depends on where you're located. I'm from Ohio and here we call CNA's an STNA (state-tested nursing assistant); however, in all of the places I have been, a nursing assistant (NA) is an NA, they just might be called something different.

at one hospital, NA's were called PCA's.

one hospital I worked at, I was a PCNA (patient care nursing assistant). As a PCNA, I did vitals, basic patient care/assisting with their needs, I/O, + I did blood sugars, d/c'd foleys and IV's and did VERY simple, non-sterile dressing changes. I also worked on a telemetry unit so I admitted patients to tele (hooking them up to the tele monitors and then admitting them on the main screen at the nurses station). I'm not sure if CNA's are able to do everything that I was able to as a PCNA. We had some PCNA's who were actually STNA's, but they were still called a PCNA.

the same hospital also had PCT's, or patient care techs. PCT's are the same as PCNA's but in addition they could insert foleys and do blood draws.

the hospital I work at now has NA's and NT's (nurse techs). NA's just do vitals, very basic patient care, I/O, and admitting patients to tele if you work on a tele floor. they are not allowed to do blood sugars. NT's do all of that + insert foleys, blood draws, dressing changes (both sterile and non-sterile), give enemas, start IV's and do trach/ETT suctioning/care. again, at my hospital, we have NA's who are STNA's but they are still referred to as an NA.