At the hospital I work at as a Student Nurse Tech (basically a CNA position and I am a licensed CNA) we are allowed to sit at the nurses station and do any work that is needed. I think it helps us to feel like part of the nursing staff and it provides us with an area in which to do our work. At your facility was it a matter of the nurses being concerned about a resident mistaking cna's for nurses or something? I find this very interesting.