Using Nurses as CNAs?

[megananne7]

Does your facility ever have to use nurses as CNAs? I have been at my job for about 3 months now and I've noticed in the past 2 weeks, we've had multiple nurses having to work as CNAs. As far as I know, none of our CNAs on our unit have quit or cut back on hours. Actually, one day when we had a nurse working as an aide, one of our CNAs called in to ask if we needed her that day (she was originally off but often calls to pick up extra hours) and was told no!

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

We will use RNs as a CNA on the Med Surg floor if there is a hole in the CNA sched. They get RN pay. So it is not very cost effective. We also use RNs as ward clerks for the same reason.

Lately though we are not doing it as much because our MS floor we went from 3 nurses to 4. We then also went from 3 CNAs down to 2. So the CNA are looking to pick up hours so they are not calling in or are not letting their be holes they are signing up for the holes if there happens to be one.

[caliotter3]

I've seen it done. I stayed over one Saturday and passed breakfast trays and fed residents one time when a facility was short. Other nurses were called in to work as CNAs. I've always heard that nurses doing this were paid their regular salaries. I think that, at least in the cases where I was familiar, the managers preferred to have the nurses working.

[Xbox Live Addict]

I've seen it done quite a few times in LTC. I myself have lent my muscle to the CNA staff on a few occasions. It isn't cost-effective to have me instead of a CNA doing tasks done primarily by CNAs, because I still got nursing pay, so I didn't feel like I was being pigeonholed into being a CNA. I volunteered. Believe me, they would have rather had me as a charge nurse with a CNA at CNA wages doing that job, instead of paying my nurse's wages.

[ohmeowzer RN, RN]

yes , we do that , we will cancel the CNA and keep the RN .. i know it's not cost effective at all.. how much can they really save ,by canceling the lowest paid person on the hallway and keep the most expensive... crazy

[nursesixty8]

yes i have seen also worked as CNA before, no u r right, they lose money and cry that we can't meet buget. so really in the long run we get hit in the pocket no matter what we do. But if u are like most of us, the patients have to be taken care of, no matter what. i don't know about u but i could not stand let a patient suffer because they simplely want a glass of water or even a bath.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

We never use RN's as CNA's.

If there is a hole in the schedule either they pull from another unit or we get what we had scheduled.

One time an RN said she would sit with a patient who had one to one and they told her it was underneath her scope of practice

[JaredCNA, CNA]

I've seen an RN sit with a suicide or EDO patient when there wasn't an extra CNA they could pull to sit. However, I've never seen an RN work in a CNA capacity because the hospital I work at is so short for nurses that they often float CNA's to give a unit an extra aide so they can work "short a nurse."

On the other hand, since JCAHO is here, they've been pulling nurses like crazy to be unit clerks...even at night, which I find odd.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

Nope, they usually pull CNAs from other floors....because if they need a RN to do another job, they HAVE to pay them their regular wage....