johnsboo

Scope of practice varies by state regulations and by specific facilities. For example, in the state of missouri, a CNA in a nursing home cannot do accuchecks, phlebotomy, insert foley's, hang IV's, Intubate patients, or run EKG's, even if trained and with clinical training validations. But they can in a hospital.

wrapping sheets or blankets around a patient is a restraint. it may save you time in bedchanges, but that is what you are there for. Why are my fellow CNA's always looking for shortcuts? And napping at work? I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable, you would be fired anywhere I have ever worked and rightfully so. You are to be aware at all times in case of fire or some other unforseen disaster. patient falls, etc. I don't know where you work, but I sure do hope I don't know you!!

As a CNA in a Hospital that no longer employs LPN's, I can tell you that the CNA's have picked up many of the LPN duties. And the pay rate is FANTASTIC. Starting pay for an experienced CNA in the hospital is $17/hr. That is with a minimum of 5 years experience. The CNA's go through extensive training and are required to maintain a minimum of 12 CEU's a year. We are trained to run EKG's and to Intubate patients, insert foley's, Phlebotomy, Accuchecks, etc. We can hang IV meds, we cannot do pushes, and we cannot pass narcotics. CNA's in our hospital are required to hold a CMA certificate, so that we can legally pass uncontrolled medications. We cannot start IV's. We cannot do assessments. I have looked into LPN pay in the few hospitals that still employ them, and I found that I am actually making the same, and in some cases more than the LPN's. Our hospital notified the LPN's that they were going to no longer employ them, that if they wanted to stay, they were encouraged to attain an RN and that they would assist in the funding. Many opted not to further their education and lost their jobs. They were given two years to make the decision. So apparently they were not interested in being RN's. Nursing homes and some home health and hospices still employ LPN's here. I am currently enrolled in the RN program and am loving it. And since the nursing program is through the hospital, scheduling is a breeze!

I've been doing it for years as an aide in the hospital here in missouri. The nurses never had any problem with it, it is standard practice. It frees up the nurses to do their jobs.

We now live in a global world, all races, creeds, sexualities, etc. There is no more room for insensitivies to one another. It is up to each of us to stop judging anyone based on anything other than how we are personally treated by an individual. And even then, as nurses, we are to still act professionally and provide care, advocacy, and nurturing to every patient and family member and friend of those patients. We cannot and should not hand them off to another nurse, we need to learn to handle the situation with grace, a smile and some understanding. No more task oriented nursing, we need to think outside the box, and come up with detailed solutions to how we are going to address the situation at hand and come up with a way to carry out our duties, in a caring and professional manner. This whole thread is a moot point and really needs to be dropped.

I just want to say something to both sides of the coin here. As a current CNA and nursing student I definitely see the pros and cons of both sides of the issues. As a CNA/PCT, I am trained and have taken the competency validation course once a year for 19 years to do FSBG's. I am well trained and do it repetitively. Part of our training is that if we get a too low or too high reading we are to restick and reread the patient results before reporting to the RN in case of a mistake. Wether it is the fault of the aide, or the equipment. So that we do not incorrectly chart, report, or cause harm to the patient. From the aide point of view, it feels like the nurses are saying aides are stupid, uneducated, and have no business doing anything other than wiping dirty bottoms and running errands. I am not saying that is how you feel, but it is how you make us feel. As a nursing student, I can see how a nurse with a license has to protect her licensure by making sure that all things are done accurately and unless you are doing it yourself you have no way of knowing this. I know as an aide that all aides are NOT responsible, or competent. Most are wonderful and I will always be sure to make sure that I treat them with the utmost respect. As they are my eyes and ears when I have other things that I have to do and cannot spend the time I want to with my patients. But I also feel as a student nurse, that there will be times when I may not have that trust in my aide and will want to do things for myself wether I really have the time or not. Because my license is at stake in the aides mistakes. The aide is literally working under my licensure and I have worked way to hard and gone through way to much to gain it. I think the aides, if they really understood this aspect would be able to get over feeling undermined, and realize that in nearly all cases, they aren't being disrespected at all, but that the nurse has to protect herself, and in protecting herself she is protecting you too. So just think about this the next time you have a nurse/aide conflict. A lot of times, it is trully a misunderstanding of what really is hanging in the balance. It isn't about power, it's about what is best for the patients outcome.

Racism never had, doesn't now, nor ever will have a place in our society, and certainly not in the healthcare industry. Regardless, of how we are treated, and how we feel about it, the best we can do is point out to the offender that their remarks are uncalled for and cannot be tolerated. After that, we need to be professional, and carry out our duties to each other and our patients in the view of a "colorless" society.

Every hospital I ever worked in always had the CNA's do them. Once it is done, we chart it. If it is out of the "normal" range, we personally notify the RN after charting so the nurse can assess the situation.

AMEN! finally someone with sense! I think the nurses that are replying negatively to my posts are the C students LOL

I think this nurse like myself realizes the importance of those grades will benefit them in the hiring process. Grades matter people. They show intelligence, perseverence, and the general attitude that is necessary for success in ANY profession.

let's see, I am not a little party girl. I don't party at all, and I actually don't think much of the students that do and are slackers because of it. I am a 41 year old wife and mother working my butt off for my grades. Also, I work on a med/surg floor in a 500 bed hospital in Kansas City. I have worked here for 7 years as an aide and I can tell you exactly how difficult it is.

I know some instructors are hard on their students, but at the same time, our society has turned out a lot of people that have a crazy sense of entitlement without earning it. No sense of responsibility, or accountability. The instructors need to keep us on our toes, and ready to take on some very difficult situations and not "wimp out". Sometimes the last chance to weed out those that are not up to what is needed out there, is in the last part of the program. I'm not saying there aren't some really awful instructors out there, because there certainly are. There are a lot more great ones. And they really are doing what needs to be done to satisfy the demand for nurses that can achieve and surpass the hectic and stressful job of nursing.

This is pretty much what I am saying. I think those that put their all into what they are passionate about are the ones we need. The rest need to rethink what they are doing. Some seem to think I am some kind of self centered, narcissistic, divisive snot or something. I'm not. I just feel that the healthcare arena really is no place for people that are not willing to sacrifice to be overachievers in all they do. Isn't that what the patient wants and needs and pays for?

Shouldn't we all be a little divisive in this profession? We have all worked with those that are really only in it for the pay. We have all worked with those that don't give 100% every day. We have all worked short because of those that just didn't feel like coming in that day. Don't the patients deserve a little better than that? And no self centered does not describe me at all. In fact, I am quite selfless. Part of why I want to be a nurse. I believe a caring nurse gives of herself to care for her patient.

I'm sorry, but I am one of those patients that would love to know that my nurse was top of the class. I prefer an overacheiver caring for me, rather than someone who did average. Patients deserve the best, and I am glad to see that employers do look at your grades so that the patients are getting what they need and are paying for. I am also a student nurse with a 4.2 GPA and I am in with a lot of those C students and let me tell you, there may be a few of them that really are working very hard to get those C's and I commend them, but they are truly struggling, and they are going to continue to struggle in the workplace as well. Also, the majority of those getting C's in my own program, are not the ones working hard for it. They would rather party after class, party all weekend, and come to class and clinicals tired, hungover, and yes some even still somewhat under the influence. Some miss clinicals for whatever reason. I missed both of my grandparents funerals, nearly every holiday function, school function for my children, and the years 2-5 of the last child I will ever have. I missed a lot of sleep to study, worked full time and had not one day off for three years. I did it because I wanted this so badly. I am not complaining about what I gave up, but it irks me to no end to hear the complaints of the mediocre, and lazy. I am NOT looking forward to working with C nurses in the workplace either.

LOL as a CNA for 14 years, not a one of these is shocking to me. In fact I have experienced worse things. I am now in an RN nursing program so that I can at least get paid something for what I do. I think keeping a sense of humor about things makes all the difference in life.

We are nurses! We are NOT Judge, Jury, and Executioner! Nurses Care, Sympathize, and Assist wherever we can. If Compassion is not your PASSION, Why are you a nurse?

I think compassion rather than anger, name calling(stupid patient), and judging without living that persons life, is the only real emotion that is called for in this case. Too many nurses have lost that compassion, and some never had it. There is nothing wrong with discussing the possibility of addiction with a patient and asking if they are willing to talk with someone about what they can do to help themselves. It is part of patient education. We can offer it, set it up, and help with it, but we can't force it and we can't show any kind of frustration with the patient for not accepting it. All patients have the right to refuse any kind of treatment for any reason. This is basic nursing skills. Basic Human skills really.

a dietician or nutritionist isn't going to help with an addiction, a psychologist would be more in line with the treatment. But all of the specialists in the world cannot help someone that just isn't ready to be helped. Addiction can only be overcome by the addict coming to terms and accepting they need to do something to help themselves. Many never do.

This person's response just reinforces what I was saying. The patients aren't necessarily stupid. They are who they are, and as nurses, it is up to us to do our best with them. We all want to "fix" our patient and have great patient outcomes. But this is not a perfect world folks. Nor a perfect profession. We are not perfect people either! We also want to go to work and do patient care not paperwork, when was the last time you did a shift of patient care without paperwork? When was the last time you went patient to patient, spent the amount of time necessary to perform your duties without any distractions and went home saying, gee, another perfect day in nursing? Just caring for patients and visiting with families, educating the patient to care for themselves after discharge, etc. It's a crazy crazy world this nursing profession, we just need to realize that and carry on the best we can.

Working in healthcare means working with people. People of all walks of life. People with all levels of intelligence, different environments during childhood, full range of mental health issues, and views of life in general. As nurses, we are given orders from the Dr. to follow, and certain protocols for specific situations. As nurses, we are all wired a little differently, just as our patients are. Sometimes, we just have to step back after doing all that we can do for the patient, and know we did our best for them. We know that some patients are never going to change and we just have to accept that. Look at it this way. How many nurses do you know that work on a Tele floor with COPD patients day in and day out, yet continue to smoke. Are they not educated in the dangers of smoking? Are they not exposed every day to the horrors of what their last days are going to look like? Yet do they continue in the same behaviors? It isn't about being stupid or just not caring. People are people. We need to go from a task oriented profession to a critical thinking profession. Things will change and perspectives will change and we will stop being quite so judgemental of others if we take a minute to realize we are all entitled to live the way we choose, wether that means poor judgement, or good choices. Consequences come with every choice. And some of our patients, no matter how much they might irritate us, they have to live day in and day out with those consequences.

you are so right, I run into so many people in ALL levels of healthcare system, that have NO compassion or caring for human beings. Seems too many just want a paycheck. Very very sad. Or they have been in healthcare for many years, and gone through so much, they have become jaded and no longer care. Unfortunately they don't realize it's time to leave the profession when you get to that point.

I'm sorry, I really wasn't trying to be derogatory in any way. It was just an observation from where I sit and what LPN's are telling me. I know how hard school is, and how much it costs, and am aware that everyone has to do what their own personal situation allows for. I am also aware that a cna even with the special training courses to carry out many of the LPN duties, we are still working under the RN license, and that we are not to do anything without being under order of the charge nurse in doing them. Also we are told that unless we have completed our competency evaluations for these procedures we cannot perform them. I have completed my fundamentals of nursing course and am in my clinicals so I am allowed to do many more of the nursing procedures under supervision of my assigned RN and make a little more money than I did as an aide. Aide's here make about $8/hr, Nurse Tech is $18/hr. nice bit of extra money when you are struggling through school and have to cut down on hours to do clinicals. Basically it evens you out for the loss of hours.

After working as a CNA in a hospital for several years, and now being a student nurse going for my RN, I am wondering what the LPN position really does for anyone. I worked in long term care when I first became a CNA. After working in the hospital as a Medication Technician, and CNA/PCT, and now a Nurse Tech, I am wondering what LPN status really is. Because in the hospital, the CNA is given specialized training to do the very thing that LPN's are doing in the LTC facilities. Probably why none of the hospitals in my area use LPN's. CNA's are cheaper, and are trained to do the same thing as the LPN. Many of the LPN's that were charge nurses in LTC did not have the management skills necessary to be charge nurses. Not to say many were very good with the staff and patients, but that seemed to be on a personal level of character, not something taught in nursing school. Other than long term care, is there even a market for LPN's anymore? I have several LPN's in my RN course that are saying it was a waste of their time to go for the LPN, just to have to turn around and get the RN degree to get a job outside of home health or LTC. Does anyone know what other opportunities there are for LPN's? I know the LTC pay rate for the LPN, is equal or in some cases even less than what CNA in a hospital is getting. And what about incentive programs for degree courses for LPN's to upgrade their education in a hospital. That needs to be addressed as well. Just something that I am seeing in the real world and would like an answer to.

I am a little worried about finding a job out of nursing school. I am a CNA and I very recently worked in a hospital and was let go along with 125 other CNA's and Nurse Tech's, Graduate Nurses, and first year RN's and a few longtime RN's due to downsizing because of the economic situation of the hospital. It is happening in all of the area hospitals here in Kansas City area. Which makes me question wether or not there really is a nursing shortage....