RN assigned as a CNA

[myree72]

I am an RN at a Rehabilitation hospital and occasionally when I get to work I am assigned as a CNA on a team. Most recently when I worked as a CNA, which I have never trained to be, I suffered a back injury and missed 3 days of work, which in my state I won't get paid for. Also in this instance after receiving my assignment & report from the previous CNA over the phone while she was driving and listening to music, I told the charge nurse that I was uncomfortable with the assignment, to which she just said "what do you want me to do about it?" Furthermore, the assigned nurse for that team that shift was an LPN. I have been a nurse for 13 years and this is the only place I have ever seen RNs used as CNAs so I am just wondering how common the practice is. I am certainly not trying to start any kind of RN vs. LPN or nurse vs. CNA debate, because I have a lot of respect for everyone in the medical profession. I am just curious if others have been in the same position and how other hospitals use staff. Thanks!!

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

I'd be a terrible CNA if my facility ever did this.

[Revvy1337]

some hospitals only employ rns to do all nursing care, no cnas. It makes me mad when nurses refuse to do cna work.

[SweetBabyLPN]

You have the right to downright REFUSE an assignment you don't feel comfortable with. Your Nurse Manager may not like it, but that is your right. Next time, when you express your discomfort with an assignment and explain why and she just says "what do you want me to do?", answer "give me a different assignment. As I said, I don't feel comfortable with this one.".

Now with that said, I as a nurse wouldn't be willing to work as a CNA at a place where I was hired as a nurse. If they are short on aides, they need to hire more. I have nothing against CNA's and don't think I am above them in any way. I am always willing to help CNA's while at work and even perform "CNA duties" when one is unavailable. My mother is a CNA and I KNOW I'm not better than her. But I went to nursing school to be a nurse and I applied for a nursing position to function as one.

Just my

[wannabanrnin2012]

Misappropriation of RN!

Actually, in my past life as a CNA, the shift leader to my step down unit decided to send up an RN float from ICU to help me with my 8 step down (total care) patients. I had her do vitals while I finished up a bed bath. Felt very funny to be the one bossing around an RN.

Anyway, long story short. She got to the eighth patient and realized the patient had expired. Realizing that the patient resembled a relative she asked the daughter. And turns out this was her cousin she hadn't seen in years. Afterwords, she told me she was grateful to be able to comfort the daughter and say goodbye to her cousin.

Amazing, huh?!

Wow. I'd say so.

[JenaeRN]

Anything that is in a CNA's scope of practice is within an RN's scope. I thought that the first semester of nursing school is all about CNA work?? At least that's what I've heard from other nurses. At the facilities I have worked at, it is common practice to use RNs as CNAs when the unit is short staffed. The only issue I have is that when they are asking you to work as a CNA with a larger patient load, you should not be asked to give meds, start IVs, etc.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Occasionally I'll be floated to a mental health tech role if we're short-staffed. I usually don't mind, as it gives me more opportunities to interact with the patients and run groups.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

Anything that is in a CNA's scope of practice is within an RN's scope. I thought that the first semester of nursing school is all about CNA work?? At least that's what I've heard from other nurses. At the facilities I have worked at, it is common practice to use RNs as CNAs when the unit is short staffed. The only issue I have is that when they are asking you to work as a CNA with a larger patient load, you should not be asked to give meds, start IVs, etc.

Just because she CAN do CNA work doesn't mean she wouldn't be lost. I'm a CNA and if you threw me in another nursing home tomorrow, where I don't know the routine, I'd wish i had training too.

[muneca13]

You have the right to downright REFUSE an assignment you don't feel comfortable with. Your Nurse Manager may not like it, but that is your right. Next time, when you express your discomfort with an assignment and explain why and she just says "what do you want me to do?", answer "give me a different assignment. As I said, I don't feel comfortable with this one.".

In my hospital you don't have the right to refuse an assignment, you do it and then if for whatever reason you take it up with managment. As an lpn,rn or cna at one point you are taught the basics...

[JDZ344]

At our hospital, when we are short UAP and have extra RNs, they take small assignments and do total care, or the RN will float and help out everyone.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I need to clarify, I just didn't want my original post to be too lengthy. I provide patient care all of the time, I answer call bells, I toilet my patients when I am able to. Where I work (Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation) the patients are often times max assist, hemiplegic, non-weight bearing , you name it. And they are up and out of bed for three hours of therapy a day. The heavy transfers are what I am not comfortable with, and why I was uncomfortable with that particular assignment. I have worked as a CNA many times and have even enjoyed having the extra time to spend with my patients. That was the first time I had ever been uncomfortable. Out of 5 teams, that one was the heaviest, and for patient safety the charge nurse, in my opinion, could have changed the assignment. And since we are being sticklers, my job description states that the RN acts as a team player by assisting coworkers with direct patient care.

If you had a problem with the heavy assists and got hurt, that might explain why you may be short a CNA. Thus the answer is not to refuse CNA work but to initiate change that lessen the chance of injury to ALL staffers. Because those "heavy assists"'are not magically lighter for the CNA.

[ktstato]

My facility allows us to pick up shifts if aides are needed. However, they've been known to pull our PRN employees to the floor as STNAs, RNs and LPNs both.

Personally, I wouldn't accept an assignment with report given the way you explained. That's a bit much.

[Owensaunt]

The first class in nursing school is all about doing patient care, ADL's etc. And if you never did that kind of care as a student nurse than your school did you an injustice- and an injustice to patients.