What is a CNA's Role in a Hospital???

katehensley, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2012

There are my duties in my hospital:

answer call lights

do vital signs

do finger sticks

do new admissions

chart chart chart

clean patients room of trash and restock towels

put on tele monitors

collect samples (urine, guiac)

change/bathe dirty patients

Thats all I can think of but you will be BUSY BUSY BUSY. Answering call lights and vitals will take most of your time.

It gives you AMAZING experience though :)

:nurse:

tokidoki7, ASN, RN · Jan 5, 2012

When I worked at a hospital as a nursing assistant, here is what I did:

-baths

-putting patients on/off bedpans

-changing briefs

-changing linen bags and emptying waste baskets

-refilling water pitchers

-making beds

-assisting fall risk patients to the bathroom

-taking patients on/off courts or in/out wheelchairs

-making sure ekg leads were still on

-running back and forth to the cafeteria because someone didn't get a tray or didn't get something they liked

-accuchecks (bid,qid, or q1h if patient on insulin drip)

-vitals (q8, stepdown patients with q4 vitals, patients recieving blood products)

-ekgs

-I&O

-phlebotomy

-patient sitter

I worked on a unit with 30+ beds. We received very ill patients and half of the time we were short staffed. There were many times I had up to 16 patients.

CNA1991, CNA · Jan 6, 2012

When I worked at a hospital as a nursing assistant, here is what I did:-baths-putting patients on/oUTff bedpans-changing briefs-changing linen bags and emptying waste baskets-refilling water pitchers-making beds-assisting fall risk patients to the bathroom-taking patients on/off courts or in/out wheelchairs-making sure ekg leads were still on-running back and forth to the cafeteria because someone didn't get a tray or didn't get something they liked-accuchecks (bid,qid, or q1h if patient on insulin drip)-vitals (q8, stepdown patients with q4 vitals, patients recieving blood products)-ekgs-I&O-phlebotomy-patient sitterI worked on a unit with 30+ beds. We received very ill patients and half of the time we were short staffed. There were many times I had up to 16 patients.

I wish I knew where that hospital was I would apply! I have been trying to get into a hospital since I first graduated as a CNA. I probably would even have trouble now even with 6 months home health/ALF experience.

katehensley, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2012

When I worked at a hospital as a nursing assistant, here is what I did:
-baths
-putting patients on/off bedpans
-changing briefs
-changing linen bags and emptying waste baskets
-refilling water pitchers
-making beds
-assisting fall risk patients to the bathroom
-taking patients on/off courts or in/out wheelchairs
-making sure ekg leads were still on
-running back and forth to the cafeteria because someone didn't get a tray or didn't get something they liked
-accuchecks (bid,qid, or q1h if patient on insulin drip)
-vitals (q8, stepdown patients with q4 vitals, patients recieving blood products)
-ekgs
-I&O
-phlebotomy
-patient sitter
I worked on a unit with 30+ beds. We received very ill patients and half of the time we were short staffed. There were many times I had up to 16 patients.

Wow you were lucky I've had up to 34 patients on my floor! our average PCT ratio to patients is 1:20 haha youre very lucky to have only 16!

bigboi · Jan 7, 2012

I do everything mentioned above and bemoan about why nurses aren't helping, especially when they sit around and converse most of the day. 34 pts during the day or is this night shift?

12leakec · Jan 8, 2012

How about at night??

lilpeapods · Jan 10, 2012

hello!

i'm currently a CNA on the med-surg floor of a hospital. on average, i have 7 patients. duties include:

- bed baths

- incontinent care (i.e. changing diapers)

- making beds

- taking vitals

- charting

- fetching ice and water

- feeding total care pts

- assisting with bathroom needs (bedpan, commode or toilet)

- admit/discharge pts (i.e. vitals and belongings form)

- take away food trays

- repositioning pts

- I&O

- collecting urine or fecal samples

at my hospital, the RNs do the accuchecks and ekgs.

i'm on the day shift. i think night shift is a bit easier in terms of not having to deal with heavy food trays/feeding and fewer admissions/discharges. But to me, night shift is hard because i don't think i can stay awake!!

RNhopeful21 · Jan 11, 2012

How do you get a job at a hospital being a CNA? How competitive is it?

JCGerow · Feb 13, 2018

At 49 years of age I've decided to make a career change. From working in restaurants to working in hospitals. I don't expect being a CNA easy. I came here to see what all a CNA does. And be armed with knowledge on all that a CNA does. Once I'm all dome doing through the CNA program, and pass all of the requirements under the law, that I have to pass, I'll show up every beginning of my shift saying, " I love my job, I love my job, I love my job....... I could be working at McDonalds instead of this....... I love my job"

liluiass · Feb 24, 2018

not a CNA but I will answer from what I see the CNAs in my unit do

new admissions : take off the patient clothes and help them get into hospital gowns

give urinals ...show them the toilet etc etc

place the 5 leads monitoring /blood pressure cuff on

present meals and take meal trays

help eating if a patient is dependent

hygiene care

disinfecting medical equipment

applying ointment and changing simple dressings

helping patients to the toilet

the CNAs in my unit take care of a max of 10 patients

I don't let them take blood sugar because well

It happened before that the blood sugar was super low

but some nurses do

depends on the CNA and on the team they're working with ..

hope that helped