What are you allowed to do?

[smartassmommy]

I am a CNA in WV and we are extremely limited in our scope of practice. Resident needs Z-guard, call the nurse or risk the legal consequences. I can change your brief, but you'll have to wait 10 mins for the nurse who has 29 other residents, med pass, and paperwork to come put what amounts to grown up desitin on your butt. So what are you allowed to do by your state? I can do adl's, and vitals. Everything else is off limits.

[hookyarnandblanket]

One day, a couple of us were discussing whether or not we could replace colostomy bags with the Velcro opening. I had been trained that CNAs could not change anything but a disposable bag which clicks on to a phlange because anything involving the stoma was considered a treatment outside our scope of practice. The head housekeeper (and unofficial hospital hate monger) overheard and told us that it was ridiculous and when she was a CNA, they could do everything, more or less implying that we are lazy. My co worker pointed out that scope of practice has changed due to liability.

[Kystudentrn]

I think this is the third or fourth time I've heard about issues between housekeeping and cnas.

[Momof8CNA]

i can do vitals, blood sugar checks, empty and chart foleys and colostomies, change out colostomy bags, put on scds, fix the ivs when they are occluded, start the telemetry devices, get samples and label them for the lab, turn on the oxygen, help with the bipap machines, order medical supplies, etc etc.

[aidyl93]

I'm a hospital PCA in Kentucky and we do vitals, blood glucose, start telemetry, empty foleys/colostomy bags/JP drains, draw blood, obtain sputum/stool/urine samples, along with charting, baths, toileting, changing, feeding, etc. We are not allowed to pass or administer any kind of medication and are not allowed to adjust oxygen. However, my hospital doesn't require you to have your CNA license (I got mine before I was hired) because they do on-the-job training.

[Missymaemae]

Maybe it depends on the type of CNA you are. I take care of post partum moms and babies so I can do all vitals, orthos, empty follys, weigh and bathe babies, acu checks, stable removal, bladder scanning....