resident care attendant

OttawaRPN · Nov 17, 2010

HCAs have a job description, not a scope of practice. That term is applicable to regulated health professionals only.

CanuckLPN73 · Nov 17, 2010

In one LTC I work at, HCAs can do saline eyedrops and medicated creams for rashes, but cannot do glycerine supps? (Or any supps, but not even glycerine)
The other LTC I work at, the HCAs do all the supps, but never eyedrops or creams.
None of them do any nasal sprays, oxygen, oral laxative, inhalers, nebulizers. Those to me are under the nursing scope and not the HCA scope.

In our course through Norquest we were given training for nasal sprays (eye drops, ear drops), to put on oxygen (we are not allowed to adjust the flow, that is left to the RN or LPN), to help someone with there inhaler or put on their nebulizer, however no we are not to do oral laxatives, though in many places it is mixed with a drink (Milk) and then we assist the resident.

In one place I worked we made our own fruitlax and gave it to the resident, however that was not in a LTC and not part of the HCA course.

Where I am we give all supps, including enema's, ostomy care (emptying the ostomy and changing it), cathetor care (emptying, changing bags)...again that was part of our course...

We are not to do suctioning, that is LPN, RN, bandages, oral meds, injections, IV's etc, catheter insertions, etc.....all that is the LPN/RN role.

I apologize for using "scope of practice" as a HCA, however I also wear a jacket that has my name and "Nursing" (beneath my name)on it as well though I am not tech a nurse, however we are considered part of the nursing team (depending on where we work) :)

A question though, if nasal sprays, eye/ear drops, laxatives, includeing enemas, nebulizers etc are not part of our "job description" then why do we spend 5-6 mnths learning about the procedure, how to do the procedure and are quizzed on everything as well during tests?

Fiona59 · Nov 18, 2010

BC is very restrictive of what it allows any healthcare worker to do.

You'll find out that a lot more is done by NAs in LTC than is done in Active Treatment. Our NAs are permitted to do ostomy care but most will always manage to find a nurse to do it. They aren't permitted to do anything med wise in hospital because those require a nursing sign off.

CanuckLPN73 · Dec 11, 2010

BC is very restrictive of what it allows any healthcare worker to do.
You'll find out that a lot more is done by NAs in LTC than is done in Active Treatment. Our NAs are permitted to do ostomy care but most will always manage to find a nurse to do it. They aren't permitted to do anything med wise in hospital because those require a nursing sign off.

This depends. Where I was doing clinical (for PN) HCA's are not allowed to do any bowels, any eye drops or nasal drops, topical creams etc. I know we learned all of that in our HCA course (Norquest). We are only allowed to do what we have learned in our program, however some HCA's in LTC are not allowed to do any kinds of meds so whatever, even though it was taught in the program. That said where I work, in a LTC facility, we HCA's are allowed to and we do give nasal, eye drops, oxygen, bowel treatments (laxatives, execpt oral)...maybe that is because we work under AHS :confused: , no idea.

We look on the residents careplan in their room and if they need eye drops at 0800, 1200 and 1800 we give it as part of the care that we do. If the resident needs a micro, dulc or glycerin that is given either when we toilet the resident or in the AM after breakfast when we lay them down unless it is ordered to give at 0600 prior to breakfast which we then do as we are washing the resident up.

If a residents careplan calls for albuterol or combivent at 0600, 1800 again we include that while we are getting the resident up or getting them ready for bed.

But yes again, where I was doing my clinical, HCA's are not allowed to do that, which I found interesting. Just the difference between facilities I suppose.