To the nurses who work on the Peds/maternity floor: what are the NA roles?

Fiona59 · Sep 15, 2012

We don't have NA's on our postpartum units. Service aides restocked linens and other supplies, provided ice and snacks to the Mu No patient care at all.

If you are being sent there, the unit will give you the details of the duties they expect you to perform.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2012

I'm in the float pool as a NA. I just finished my training. I heard that we also get sent to work on the Peds floor/peds oncology/antepartum.
What is expected for the NA to do on those floors? I am sure we have to do vitals.
How do we weigh the babies? How do we keep track of the I/O for the babies on diapers? Do we measure each diaper on the scale? How do we document those diapers when they are weighed in kilograms or grams? When we chart, we usually document the I/O in mL.

Diapers are weighed in g. 1 g is approximately 1 mL so when you weigh a diaper as 200g, you record the output as 200 mL.

umcRN, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2012

there are also baby scales, same used in doctors offices to weight the little ones. I work in an ICU so our nursing assistants don't do too much patient care but they can get feeds ready for us (formula or breastmilk) and if its a tube feeding they can hang & run it as well. They can also bottle/PO feed. On the floors I'm pretty sure they do vitals & weights and record I&O's which as another said is weighing the diapers and recording the weight 1g = 1ml. You may also be used as a sitter for a patient that needs constant supervision or as an extra set of hands to soothe a crying child.

Twinmom06, ASN, APN · Sep 16, 2012

I worked as an extern/NA on LDRP, and we did vitals on mom and baby (we didn't weigh diapers though) and ALL babies were weighed at midnight. We also did the first bath before mom went to post partum and put the moms in the shower. We did state mandated hearing, heel stick, pulse ox, and sometimes blood sugar tests. We also stocked rooms and cribs and ran errands for the nurses...as part of the externship I got to help with deliveries and recoveries of mom/babies, but that's reserved for the externs only. I also answered phones, put together charts, manned the door (locked unit that you had to buzz to get in), helped post c/s moms ambulate, stocked IV trays, and in some cases primed tubing and hung IVF if the nurses were REALLY busy!

LLLovely, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2012

One hospital where I worked had CNAs. They did primarily VS, but we were a very busy unit and finally started making better use of the resource.

So, in addition, they also did PP ambulation, emptying of Foley catheters, pain assessments, moving infants for the nurses before and after assessments when needed, and simple education like swaddling and how to fill out the infant feeding record. They answered call bells and would often deliver supplies like pads to the patients if they ran out.

Of course, they also did electronic charting for everything they did as well.

violet_violet · Sep 18, 2012

I'm in the float pool as a NA. I just finished my training. I heard that we also get sent to work on the Peds floor/peds oncology/antepartum.
What is expected for the NA to do on those floors? I am sure we have to do vitals.
How do we weigh the babies? How do we keep track of the I/O for the babies on diapers? Do we measure each diaper on the scale? How do we document those diapers when they are weighed in kilograms or grams? When we chart, we usually document the I/O in mL.

I was an NA for a mother baby unit when I was still in nursing school. I was per diem and worked 8 hour shifts on nights. My responsibilities included vitals including post op of c_sections, I&Os, making sure ice pitchers were filled, baby baths, helping and setting up showers, assisting patients with ambulating, making dads beds, respite care of newborns, baby foot prints, security photos as well as baby photos, restocking and cleaning cribs, passing out warmed muffins to moms in the early morning. ....