Training in hospital?

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So Im in a position where I have to choose a job. For the hospital I would be working on the telemetry/med surg. floor. From what I have been hearing, (not from hospital bc they didnt tell me anything!)I might be doing vitals,ekg's etc. Now I dont have any nursing assistant experience, but graduated with an Associates in Medical Assisting in December 2010. In hospitals is it common for a nursing assistant to have the opportunity to be trained to do things to advance/get a raise? Is it on the job training? I dont necessarily mean RN or anything like that, just like to pass meds or whatever else you could think of? I was hoping so.

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In my area med pass is a part of the CNA course. If you land a job as a CNA here in the hospital its a union job. Good benifits and pay starting at 18/hr

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In my area med pass is a part of the CNA course. If you land a job as a CNA here in the hospital its a union job. Good benifits and pay starting at 18/hr

Yeah Im not a cna, Im actually a Certified Medical Assistant lol. This job will be for a nursing assistant though in a hospital..just get orientation, and I dont know what that will be like. This job is union also, not $18hr. though.

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Nobody but a nurse will ever pass meds. You usually don't get trained to do anything else other than what you're allowed to do when you start. The hospital has a scope of practice for each position (as do states, but hospitals can cut things out of that scope) so you should really not have a whole lot else you'll be able to advance in.

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As far as I knew, it is federal law that no one except the RN can administer medications.

Some hospitals can offer programs and give benefits to help you learn and achieve more. My hospital has tuition reimbursement and also offers on-site certification & renewal classes for your BLS, ACLS, PALS, etc. They are also affiliated with certain schools so that healthcare professionals can get their ASN/BSN at discounted rates or with their clinical hours being at the hospital itself.

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An RN isn't the only one who can pass meds - LPNs pass meds and so do QMAs. A CNA cannot, though, legally. Ever.

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Oh..I just thought I read that you can become a medication aide. What sort of things can you learn/trained to do that are extra skills/pay more hopefully?

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A QMA IS a medication aide. You have to take a lengthy class (mostly pharmacology) and pass a test to become one, and they are seldomly used these days.

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Specializes in ICU.
Oh..I just thought I read that you can become a medication aide. What sort of things can you learn/trained to do that are extra skills/pay more hopefully?

Just so you know, I have never heard of a hospital using medication aides. There are enough nurses that the nurses can administer their own medications (as opposed to LTC, where there's usually only 1 or 2 nurses for a whole 40-60 resident facility/wing....on my med/surg floors the nurse:patient ratio is 1:4-1:7).

A CNA in a hospital usually does not have a lot of room for "upward movement." I managed to transistion from a CNA to a telemetry monitor tech to a cardiovascular tech (it took me taking the initiative to take additional classes, and only earned me about $1.00/hour), but the only other people I know who have moved from CNA to a higher paying/more responsibility position are those that have gone to nursing school and transistioned to nurses.

If you want more responsibility and pay in a hospital, you have to get that RN.

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From what I know medication aides are generally only used in LTC/assisted living facilities. At least around here. The poster who said their CNA classes include passing medication is from Canada it looks like. In the United States as far as I know you can never pass meds as a CNA, especially in a hospital.

Around here you can be an ER tech with either CNA or EMT B certification, I know they pay a little bit more and you have more responsibilities (those don't include passing meds though) but since you don't have your CNA or EMT B I'm not sure if that would be open to you in your area...

It seems like from your posts you are really hoping to make a lot more money than you are going to be making...I would suggest going for your RN or at least LPN, because as a CNA you are never going to make a ton of money...

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I would be open to becoming trained as a tech, if thats possible. I dont necessarily want to be an RN etc. Maybe one day when I can bid I can work as a Medical Assistant if a position becomes available (because I am considered one).

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I would suggest looking at the career opportunity section of the hospital website. You should get an idea of what positions you can transistion into perhaps with additional training. I've never seens a medical assistant position posted in the hospitals I've worked in.

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