So... It's about 10:45PM and I'm about to head out when i hear a very wound Unit Secretary (16yrs) talking about how fun it is to do blood sugars and encouraging our Unite Secretary who is also 16 to dop them as well.
I went up to her and asked her who did she did a blood sugar on and she turned pale white and said one patient but apparently she did 16 blood sugars because the RN's asked her to on another unit because they didnt have a CNA.
I had a total melt down and told her how dangerous that is and how she should never do that again her job is to answer the phones, call bells and enter orders/consults, never was it to perform patient care in any way shape or form.
I'm just amazed how some people do not really understand where they stand in the nursing field and how a simple mistake can cause some serious problems. What if a patient had a blood sugar of 40 and because she did not know what is an action range number did not report it to the RN?
but help me understand--where in the world is a minor allowed access to other people's medical histories??
this child has no business being employed in a hospital.
what happened to hipaa, btw?
a minor with a work permit is allowed to work in a hospital, just like any other employee, they must 1st complete a back ground check, get finger printed and complete training. my 16 year old daughter starts her cna training tomorrow and with in 2 weeks will be allowed to work as a cna on the med surg floor. the only difference between a 16 year old and an 18 year old is during school session the 16 year old can not work past 10pm on a school night.
a minor with a work permit is allowed to work in a hospital, just like any other employee ..quote]
i am both speechless and horrified----
i'm sure your daughter is a lovely young lady, but children have no place providing patient care. the legal ramifications running in both directions are legion....
a minor with a work permit is allowed to work in a hospital, just like any other employee ..quote]
i am both speechless and horrified----
i'm sure your daughter is a lovely young lady, but children have no place providing patient care. the legal ramifications running in both directions are legion....
iam surprised that your hospital does not hire minors---i only say this as every hospital in the 50 miles radius that i know of does. i agree not every child (16yr) is not able to provide pt care but some are. cna training is open and available to 16 year olds in fact it is not only open it is encouraged at the high school level.
we have a high school class where for 2 semesters the teens come out to the hospital and work as cnas for 3 hours during the school day, they earn collage credit for ap1 by taking this class at 2 universities and a community college(huge savings for the parents!!) . it is an exceptional program--not every teen can do it though and it is very competitive to get in--no screwing up or your out. every 4 weeks the cna/teens change roles, for the 1st 4 they may work on the med surge unit, the next 4 they follow the dietitian, the next 4 they follow radiology. they learn and use hands on skills as they go. by completing the class they are then able to do 2 weeks of clinicals and get their cna lic.
i must add many of the patients love the teen cnas. they probably go through more cna training that an adult taking a cna class. these are kids who want to go to college to work in the medical field so they are eager and excited to learn. their smiles are contagious. our extended care unit esp loves the teens. the teen cna girls paint the ladies nails and do their hair. the older residents love the high school boys, i am sure they remind them of their own grandchildren.
we as parents have the final say on the hours and the unit our kids can work in and the only area i have said i will not allow my daughter to work is the behav health unit. teen cnas are employed up there and have been floated up there due to census demands, but that is one area of the hosp i do not want my child working for various reasons, and in my personal opinion i do not think teenagers should work that unit. but i have seen many positive aspects for both the patient and the teen by having them work on med surg and extended care. our nursing home is by far the largest user of the teen cna program because it is so hard to find cnas. so they probably employ the most.
we have had a few of the teen cnas back in the icu unit assisting with baths and meals.
not to mention the kids who are employed by the hospital not only make more than they would if they worked fast food, they can earn pto time, and tuition assistance for college, if they stay on as an employee after college their start date was that when they were 16--so by the age of 22 and a college grad they already have 6 years of time vested and they get even better pto earnings and a larger retirement contribution.
Im a unit secretary, theres a RN that asked me to take vitals on her patient just last night (I work in a ER). I told her I wasnt comfortable because I didnt have the training. (I am a certified medical assistant thats accomplished A WHOOLE lot in my 5 years of healthcare) But I didnt want to be held liable for anything that went wrong.
Anyhoo I am a nursing student, and very efficient with my work and I can do more but its not in my job description. Theres another US who is also a first year nursing student and actually tries really hard to put her nose where it doesnt belong (begging to do foleys)
I see where the OP is upset, but depending on the secretary and circumstance its no big deal. There are some people who are just willing to help, maybe she knew the proper protocal with the b/s level. Then there are people who overstep their boundaries. I actually went to the Nurse manager and asked him if it was ok to help out more (with the proper training) because on nights we always have 2 CA's for the whole ER (28 beds) ..Still waiting for him to get back to me lol. Ah well.
I'm surprised the UC could even use the machine, b/c in our facility (and in others where I was a student) you have to put in your operator ID by scanning your badge, and then scanning the patient. The blood sugars are downloaded when you dock the accucheck machine. How could the UC have the right access code to do the blood sugars?
Are there labor laws in New Jersey????? What parent in thier right mind will let thier minor child to work that late at night? Sounds like multiple violation by this facilty.
the facility i work at does not hire anyone under the age of 18 either. they can only participate in our volunteer service.
no offencce intended, but are these places letting kids be cna's and unit sect's somewhere in the boonies...because i can't think of any reason except a severe labor shortage for this practice?? a legal & moral nightmare..
minor children can't vote, sign contracts, join the military without parental permission, get a commercial driver's license, or marry in most states. their brains are immature and not fully formed, esp. re: judgement....and some state thinks they can be giving direct patient care, and handling sensitive medical info???
sorry, but this is wrong and dangerous. when someone's 16 year old daughter has to deal with a suggestive 72 yr old with an erection , or some 17 year old starts discussing her classmates' std in algebra class the next day, the brown stuff will hit the fan...
Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN
949 Posts
Many facilities hire young people as long as they have the proper training and certification.
I was hired at 15 and I had my state certification as well as my BLS certification