Sue's Blog

Introducing…a new Medication App

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:03:10 +0000

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Studying for NCLEX made (free) and easy

After months of preparation…and medication names, uses and contraindications dancing in my head…it’s here. Learning Extension’s Medication App for iPhones, iPads, and Android phones!

Preparing for your NCLEX? The number of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and natural products you have to know can be overwhelming. So at Learning Extension, we wanted to come up with a fun, convenient, and easy to use way to learn about drugs…a flashcard app.

And best of all the Medication App is free. (Hooray!) By now you are probably asking yourself what in the world is a flashcard app? And how can it make me more successful in my NCLEX prep?

So, what is a flashcard app?

First, these flashcards are not like a drug book – there are lots of organizations out there that have excellent products and we didn’t need to recreate something like that.

Instead, we offer a simpler way to learn basic drug information using flashcards. You can study hundreds of drugs by easily grouping them into manageable categories, all with common actions and effects. You can also quickly access interesting facts that every nurse should know as they prepare for NCLEX.

What does it include?

The flashcard content includes:

Common examples — Figure out which drugs are in each category.

Must knows — Flip through a basic description and uses for each drug category.

Fun facts — Access the info that is nice to know, nice to know, and really important to know, for each category.

Drug index — Stimulate your memory, by using tabs to access a drug category or a specific drug.

The key features of the app include:

Touch and tap functionality
Search for drug categories or specific drugs
Identify commonly prescribed medications
Identify high alert medication
Understand why some drugs are listed in 2 or more categories

How can I use it?

Imagine all the ways you can use this FREE app! Here are my top five suggestions…

Study on the go... on the way to class, standing in the checkout line, or wherever.
View a few flashcards now and then pick up where you left off later.
If you find something really interesting, flag it!
If you want don’t want to read about a particular drug or drug classification, just “skip it” and review it at another time.
Mark what you already know with “got it,” customizing your review as you test your knowledge.

And if that’s not enough, we’ve thrown in a few extras, all available straight from the app:

Post your progress on Facebook so that your fellow nursing students can find the app (and for bragging rights!)
Access the NCSBN NCLEX® RN and NCLEX® PN Review courses
Set the NCLEX® Countdown Timer to the date of your NCLEX® exam
Access the Learning Extension’s NCLEX®-Style Question of the Week

Heard enough? Go to the Apple's App Store and download the app today!

Now it’s your turn

What is your first impression of the new app?

We are already working on the next update and are preparing to add more content. What would you like us to add?

Celebrate National Nurse's Week 2012

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:42:17 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

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All across the United States, registered nurses are being saluted.

On May 6, 2012, National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is joining the American Nurses Association in celebrating "Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring" as part of National Nurses Week, which is held May 6-12, every year. The purpose of the weeklong celebration is to raise awareness of the value of nursing and help educate the public about the role nurses play in meeting the health care needs of the American people.

Traditionally, National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the diverse ways in which registered nurses, who comprise the largest health care profession, are working to improve health care. From bedside nursing in hospitals and long term care facilities to the halls of research institutions, state legislatures, and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding health care needs of American society.

In celebration of Nurses Week, we will be offering a 10% discount on all Learning Extension courses from 9:00 am (CT) May 6 through 11:59 (CT) pm May 12. Take advantage of this special limited-time offer to advance your career today! Please note that this special offer does not apply to previous purchases.

The Timing of Nurses Week

Did you ever wonder why Nurse's Week starts always ends on May 12? It's because Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. Her contributions to nursing and nursing education, as well as the reform of hospitals, was a significant achievement - particularly for a woman born in the 19th century. Known as "The Lady with the Lamp", her work inspired both public support and royal recognition.

In honor of the dedication, commitment, and tireless effort of the nearly 3.1 million registered nurses nationwide to promote and maintain the health of this nation, the ANA and NCSBN are proud to recognize registered nurses everywhere on this particular day for the quality work they provide seven days a week, 365 days a year. All registered nurses in America are encouraged to proudly wear the official ANA "RN" pin (or any other pin that clearly identifies them as registered nurses) and/or their nurses uniform on May 6, 2012.

Now It's Your Turn

How are you celebrating Nurses Week?

Do you think it's important for nurses to be members of a professional nursing association?

Are you a member of the American Nurses Association? Read more about National Nurses Week and the American Nurses Association at: http://nursingworld.org/

Code of Conduct

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:44:59 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

Now's the time to choose!

Ethics: The principles of conduct governing an individual or a group ~Merriam Webster Free Online Dictionary

As managing editor of our online courses, I am responsible for revising and updating content. Right now I am going through NCLEX-style review question submissions from our content experts, which I will add to our courses. I am also going through our existing practice questions to verify, revise, and update content.

I use a variety of resources to do this, including the Internet. While doing so, I invariably stumble on online content taken word-for-word, directly from our courses! As I hope you know, our course content is copyright protected. Essentially, this means that no one is allowed to copy our materials, share the information, or post anything on the Web. This is clearly stated in our Terms of Use, which everyone must agree to when they signs up for one of our courses.

Disregarding a code of conduct

Think of our Terms of Use as being your nursing program’s student handbook. Your student handbook detailed all sorts of things about your nursing program and probably included a code of conduct. And, just like you agreed to our Terms of Use, you probably had to sign a contract, acknowledging your received the handbook, read and understood it.

And I just betcha there was something about not sharing testing information with other students! But...

Did this prevent students from sharing test items, specifically answers to test question? ~No
Did students know it was wrong to share test information? ~Yes

My guess is that whoever is posting our content on the Web knows what s/he is doing is wrong. But legal issues aside, it troubles me that someone who is preparing to be a nurse, someone who will be part of the most trustworthy of professions, is breaking an ethical code of conduct.

Crossing the line

It makes me very sad when I find our copyrighted content plastered all over the Internet. It’s not so much that the information is out there for free, for anyone to see. To do this, someone has blatantly disregarded a code of conduct. What worries me more is that someone who does something like this may be willing to cross legal and ethical barriers again in the future... with much more serious results!

Every day, boards of nursing deal with nurses who have experienced ethical and legal lapses. As a condition of keeping their licenses, some of these nurses may be required to take a course in ethics. We offer several such courses, including:

Our hope is that the information presented in these courses will help nurses recognize the differences between ethical and unethical behavior and to make changes in how they conduct themselves as licensed professionals.

It’s your turn

In my opinion, posting proprietary content on the Web may be the first step downward on a slippery slope of continued unethical behavior. Agree or disagree? Why?

Have you known anyone who shared information about what was on an exam or did something that you would consider unethical in nursing school? Did the person get caught? What, if anything, happened?

NCLEX "Question Dissection" Podcasts

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:20:26 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

What's your learning style? Learn your way…through NCLEX Question Dissection and more!

Many nursing programs assess learning styles prior to the first semester of classes. Although everyone uses a mix of learning styles, it’s important to know your primary learning style. This can help you plan strategies for better study and can improve the speed and quality of your learning.

Your primary learning style most likely falls into one of three categories:

Visual – using maps, diagrams, charts
Auditory – preference for what is heard or spoken
Kinesthetic – using experience or practice (simulation or real)

At NCSBN Learning Extension, we are constantly finding new ways to improve your quality of learning…by tapping into the power of these three different learning styles.

Are you a visual learner?

With a fun visual, online format, our NCLEX course is well-suited for the visual learner. In addition to the written word, we use a wide variety of key images to highlight important information.

The course also offers many different interactive activities in each of our lessons. Anyone enrolled in our courses can assess their learning through a number of short quizzes. Then there are all those posttests with interactive NCLEX-style questions at the end of each lesson.

Enjoy interactive (kinesthetic) learning activities?

Even if you aren’t subscribed to one of our courses, you can still practice answering NCLEX-style questions using our interactive Question of the Week. After reading the question, you select a response and then get immediate feedback about your response. (You have to subscribe to one of our review courses if you want to know the rationale for the correct response!)

Located on our home page (learningext.com), a new question is posted every Monday. If you’d like, instead of going to learningext.com every week, you can download our very fun Question of the Week widget to your computer desktop.

Like to listen?

To reach out to those of you who are auditory learners, we recently decided to kick up the Question of the Week through our new Question DissectionÓ.

Listen to me as I “dissect” our Question of the Week. Posted every two weeks, I will walk you through how best to answer one of our NCLEX-style questions… and you don’t even have to be enrolled in one of our courses to access this information!

Ready, set…launch!

We are working on something totally new and completely awesome. Stay tuned to be the first to know.

Now it’s your turn!

If you haven’t yet, take a minute and listen to one of our Question DissectionÓ podcasts. What do you think?

Do you have any other learning ideas to share with us?

Nurses and Social Media

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:43:15 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

Avoiding the pratfalls

Pratfall: A humiliating blunder or defeat (or a fall on one’s buttocks.)

According to Facebook, there are 800 million active users, with more than 50% of these users logging on every day ~ September 2011

Some time ago I asked you… What’s on your Facebook page? See Moving Towards Professional Practice. I shared how my daughter was reviewing photos and comments to make sure there was nothing that might jeopardize her chances of getting a job.

Now that she works in an educational setting, she remains vigilant that there is nothing on her Facebook page that would derail her chances of making tenure. I recently asked her… “How do teachers deal with students who want to “friend” them?”

She said most of her colleagues have changed their screen names to include only their first and middle names – no one uses surnames any more, which makes finding them a lot more difficult and helps them maintain professional boundaries.

What you don’t know can hurt you!

Social media and nursing is a hot topic at NCSBN. We recently published a white paper called A Nurse’s Guide to the Use of Social Media. This paper highlights seven case studies of nurses who used social media in ways that seemed acceptable (or an attempt at humor), unaware that they were compromising their patient’s confidentiality. If you use social media, be sure to read these!

NCSBN has a new video, Social Media Guidelines for Nurses, in which key points of the white paper are summarized and several scenarios of inappropriate use of social media are examined.

Why is social media and nursing such a hot topic?

More usage — Like millions of other people, nurses post on social media sites and not everything they post is considered “appropriate.”
More complaints — There has been a significant increase in the number of complaints about nurses violating patient privacy by posting photos or information about patients on social networking sites like Facebook.
More disciplinary action — Inappropriate disclosure of personal information on electronic social media sites can result in a board of nursing taking disciplinary action against nurses AND civil and criminal penalties (since improper use of social media by nurses is often a violation of state and federal privacy laws).

What you do know can help you!

We all have an ethical and legal obligation to keep all patient information confidential. But it seems that social media presents new challenges for nurses regarding the very public world of the Internet.

Here are a few guidelines from A Nurse’s Guide to the Use of Social Media to minimize your risk of using social media in an inappropriate manner:

Privacy settings aren’t enough — Never refer to any patient (or colleague) in a disparaging manner, even if no names are used – people can always figure out who you are talking about.
Maintain professional boundaries – Online contact with patients or former patients blurs the distinction between a professional and personal relationship.
Promptly report — Delaying to report an identified breach of confidentiality or privacy can implicate you.
Ask about policies — Be aware of and comply with employer policies regarding the use of:

-Employer-owned computers and other electronic devices.

-Personal devices in the work place (and for heaven’s sake… don’t ever take a photograph of a patient!)

A good place to start is looking at your overall use of social media. Are you in the habit of divulging personal information? Do you ever use Facebook as a platform to air grievances? Establishing good habits now will help you avoid a humiliating social media blunder that could hurt or even potentially end your nursing career.

Now it’s your turn

What are your personal boundaries when it comes to posting on your Facebook page? What precautions are you taking to ensure the privacy of your practice of nursing?

Does your student handbook have anything about the use of social media? What other social media vehicles could cause a nurse to be cited for violation of privacy?

Your (Study) Plan for Success

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:53:32 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

As you may know, there is a short evaluation you can complete when you successfully finish any of our courses. Also, you can comment about our courses in our online community, either privately with the instructor (that’s me!) or publicly on a student discussion board.

At NCSBN Learning Extension, we read everyone’s comments and suggestions and we work hard to consider how we can use that information to improve our courses.

This leads me to one of our newest improvements for the review courses (drum roll please)…

The NCLEX RN Review STUDY PLAN

Even though the recommended amount of study time for the review (85 hours) is written in the syllabus, we thought more structure would help you confidently absorb all our wonderful content and help you finish right on time for your NCLEX.

Don’t worry…be organized!

We know that our review courses contain a lot of content. We also know that some of you get really stressed out by trying to figure out how to tackle all that content. So, to help you out, we’ve created a study plan for each of our subscription lengths:

For instance…

Using the 3-week subscription? You probably need an intensive review. So this guide is structured like a full-time job where you’ll spend around 8 hours a day, 5 days a week studying. But understanding that everyone needs a break from studying, we gave you a couple of days off each week.

Purchased a 15-week subscription? You are probably working or have some other full-time obligation. This guide suggests that you spend about 6 hours studying, but for only 2 days a week.

And the nice thing is, if you have a busy week and don’t complete all your study time, you’ll know exactly where you’re at and what you need to do to catch up the next week.

Stay on track…and have fun!

To keep you on track while you are studying, we’ve added check marks where you can cross things off your list as you complete each part of the review. (Checking things off a list can be so satisfying, don’t you think?!) We’ve also added a link to our Countdown Timer widget* so you can count down to your

NCLEX exam
NCSBN Review course expiration

You can even be creative and customize the Countdown Timer for a vacation or other important event! (Or perhaps to the reward you’ve promised yourself after you complete the exam.) Studying for one of the most important events of your life doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little fun while you’re at it.

Now it’s your turn!

Keep those comments coming! And tell us what you think of the study guides.

Do you think you will use one?

What other suggestions do you have that we can use to improve our courses?

* Countdown widget requires Windows 7 or Vista Desktop.

Persistence Pays Off

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:36:59 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

“Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.” ~Unknown

When I read the emails and discussion posts of people taking one of our Learning Extension review courses, I am not only impressed with how nurturing you are with each other but how persistent you are in achieving your goals. Even after repeated attempts and failures, you come back to support each other and make plans to be successful on NCLEX.

I know that you all worked hard to complete your nursing education. And while education is the foundation for success on NCLEX, even with all the preparation, not everyone will pass NCLEX. The important thing is that you continue to pursue your goals of passing NCLEX and becoming a nurse. To me, this is the very essence of excellence.

Embracing the gifts of grief

As I wrote earlier this year, I am dealing with the death of my father and declining health of my mother. Even as I grieve, I have had to do a lot of work to help settle my father’s financial affairs. If I have learned anything from this experience, it’s that patience and perseverance almost always pay off. I’ve needed…

Perseverance to get answers to so many questions
Patience to deal with countless setbacks
Perseverance to ask for and get needed services for my mom’s care

I think that when someone doesn’t pass NCLEX, she or he must experience something similar to the grieving process. At first you are in a state of disbelief, and then you feel pain, guilt, and maybe you are even depressed. But as you come to grips with this situation, you realize that it’s only a setback, a bump in the road… but it is not the end of the world.

In fact, grieving can bring some incredible gifts…

Patience to get stronger after failure
Perseverance to look for a new opportunity or set a new goal
Patience to reengage, while asking yourself…how can I improve?
Perseverance to look for the next step and then move forward!

Regaining your focus

Of course, no one plans for failure. But, somehow, you find it within yourself to work through things and look forward to the future. As you prepare for your next attempt at NCLEX, you will need to:

Call on those resources that helped you through nursing school;
Believe in yourself; and most of all…
Acknowledge your ability to be successful!

It may take a little longer for you to reach your goals that you originally had planned, but, with persistence and support from your friends, it will happen. I know it’s such a cliché, but don’t you think that life’s challenges and sorrows sometimes help make us stronger individuals?

Now it’s your turn

What are you doing to help you succeed?

Are you doing anything differently this time as you prepare for your next attempt?

Do you think you’ll be able to use this experience and apply it to other situations in the future?

How will it help you be a better nurse?

The Beauty of Scripts

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:17:57 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

What to say…when to say it

“Compassion automatically invites you to relate with people because you no longer regard people as a drain on your energy.” ~ Chogyam Trungpa

For the last several months I have been dealing with the declining health of my mother and the sudden death of my father. It’s been a very difficult time for me, as I’ve weathered an unexpected surgery for mom, my dad’s funeral, and an endless stream of bills.

Most people have been helpful in settling my dad’s affairs and have offered appropriate condolences. Unfortunately, some health care workers have come across as less than compassionate. Whether they meant to or not, at times their words and actions seemed uncaring, or even worse, inappropriate.

A simple “I’m sorry” and “let’s see what I/we can do to help you” would have been nice to hear.

Unsure of what to say?

This leads me to a recommendation I read in an online blog called “10 Ways to Help Nurses Improve Patient Satisfaction.” What stood out for me was the suggestion at the top of the list, called “scripting.”

In nursing school, we all learned the importance of effective communication. Some of us practiced drawing out both patients and other health care practitioners by role-playing. Then we applied what we learned in the clinical setting.

But didn’t you still find yourself unsure of what to say in many important situations? As a new nurse, I know that I did.

Bring on the scripts!

The point of scripting is to provide nurses the words to use in many different situations. Now, before you protest…Geez, don’t you think I know how to talk to my patients?...hear me out.

In his Nursing Leadership Builders Blog, Dr. Michael B. Grossman says that the point of scripting is “to provide a set of comments that have worked well in similar situations and have had effective outcomes.” He adds, “If you are sincere and truly are there to help the patient, then the script is a gentle reminder of your mission.”

These mission-sensitive scripts could help nurses with a myriad of situations. For instance, scripts can alert nurses how to better…

Set the tone with new patients — Warmly introduce and identify yourself and your professional credentials.
Keep patients and loved ones in the loop — Explain treatment regimens and answer questions.
Prepare patients for operations — Equip a patient (and his/her support group) for what to expect, before, during and after a procedure.
Streamline the discharge process — Make sure a patient (and their loved ones) has everything they need for the transition from hospital to home.
Communicate with team members — Effectively communicate with your manager, or with nurses you manage, with the same tone you want to impart to patients.

Scripting can also provide nurses with the tools for handling potentially volatile patient issues, such as delayed procedures, lost test results…or the death of a loved one.

Personalize the message

Again, I’m not saying that we should be like little robots and simply memorize words. Nurses are so much more intelligent and caring than that! But a script can lay the foundation of what to say in any number of situations, even more so, if you are new to nursing.

With time and practice, each of us will find a way to personalize the information. With more consistency and accuracy of the message, as well as an emphasis on caring, I truly believe that patient satisfaction will indeed increase.

Now it’s your turn

Sometimes knowing just what to say and when to say it will help control a difficult situation. When emotions are raw and the situation is overwhelming for family and loved ones, all you may need to do is stop what you are doing, look the patient and family members in the eye, and say “I’m sorry.”

Have you ever been in a situation where a health care worker could have used some help with scripting?

How can scripts serve as “gentle reminders of mission?”

For some examples of scripts for nurses and nurse managers, see Dr. Grossman’s Rounding for Outcomes Scripts.

Follow Us!

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:28:55 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

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Andrea and I attended the National Student Nurse Association mid-year conference in Memphis. We met a lot of really great nursing students and nursing instructors. We gave away hundreds of t-shirts, promoting our Twitter account. In addition to Facebook, Andrea posts our question of the week, study tips for NCLEX, and something brand new that we are calling “Pharm Friday” using our Twitter account. As the t-shirts said, “follow us” at NCSBNLearnext. More about this in just a bit…

Some students who stop by our booth don’t know what NCSBN Learning Extension is. Sometimes, since both Andrea and I get really busy, it’s just not possible to tell everyone about all the great features about our website. So I thought I would take this opportunity to write a short blog and highlight some of the really great things we have to offer.

NCLEX-related

First, and perhaps foremost, related to our 2 NCLEX review courses (RN & PN) are the following features:

Question of the week – answer the new interactive question every Monday on our website (or on Facebook!)
Question of the week widget – download the question of the week directly on your desktop
“Countdown” widget – download this widget and start counting down the time until your NCLEX exam… or customize it for another date (like the end of the semester)
Student discussion boards – share information, give and receive support other online learners
Pharm Friday – Follow our #pharmfri tweets to stay informed and to reinforce and/or learn fun facts about pharmacology

CE-related for all nurses (and nursing students)

Once you visit our website, it will become apparent that although a great deal of emphasis in on NCLEX, we have so much more to offer. There is a long list of CE courses. Many of the courses relate to ethical and legal issues that every nurse should know and understand as they progress in their professional careers.

I would highly recommend that students or new nurses sign up for a Nurse Practice Act course if one is offered by their state (use the link to see if your state is on the list.) It's always a good idea to be informed about the state laws that regulate your day-to-day nursing practice and understand what it means to be a licensed nurse.

CE-related for nursing faculty

Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up our 2 CE courses for nursing faculty members:

Test Development & Item Writing
Assessment of Critical Thinking

Both of these courses were written by people who work in the NCLEX department and who know a thing or two about assessment and evaluation. Recently updated, these courses are a must for anyone considering taking a certification exam.

Now it’s your turn

We have a lot to offer nurses, nursing students, and even nursing faculty. Check out our website, Facebook page or, as our t-shirts say, follow us on Twitter to take full advantage of all we have to offer.

Do you have any great ideas you would like to share with our online community? If yes, we are offering people the opportunity to be guest bloggers – email Andrea with your ideas at aplatt@ncsbn.org.

Lastly, we are preparing for another fun project related to our question of the week – follow us to stay up-to-date on this and other projects we are developing to help nursing students be successful on NCLEX!

Be sure to stop by and see Andrea and me at the NSNA's Annual Convention in Pittsburg (April 11-15)!

Discovering the Truth About UAPs and CNAs (2 Comments)

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:44:54 +0000

blog post by Susan, MSN, RN, NCSBN

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. ~ Galileo

I’ve previously written about unlicensed assistive persons (UAP), most recently about medication aides. Still, I receive a lot of questions on this topic, including these:

“What’s the difference between a UAP and a CNA?”
“Can a UAP and a nursing assistant do the same things?”
“How is a UAP qualified to take pulses?”

I’m sure that I, too, would be confused about all this if I hadn’t taught nursing assistant classes for many years. To make a long explanation short, let’s just say that a CNA is a more specialized type of UAP.

So many names…so confusing

A variety of nursing assistive personnel, who are also collectively referred to as UAP, are trained to assist nurses in providing patient care activities. You may be familiar with these more common titles:

patient care technicians (PCTs)
nurse aides
certified nursing assistants (CNAs)

Usually, the title of UAP usually depends on the health care setting. For example, UAP who work in long term care (LTC) or skilled nursing facilities are called CNAs. In the hospital setting, UAPs are more commonly called PCTs.

Regardless of the setting, UAP learn about how their work supports the role of the nurse. And discovering what UAP, and specifically CNAs, can and cannot do will only help to make you a better nurse. So let's start with the basics and go on from there.

CNAs are UAP…

UAP is an umbrella term, used to identify anyone who is trained to assist a nurse. As I have written before, a medication aide (MA) is a type of UAP. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is another type of UAP.

But not all UAP (including MAs) are CNAs. Read on...

CNAs working in Long Term Care

Unlike other nursing assistive personnel, all nursing assistive personnel who work in a long term care (LTC) facility that accepts Medicare and Medicaid must be CNAs – it’s the law.

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA 1987) mandated the Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) to establish minimum requirement for nurse aide competency within certified nursing facilities (142 CFR §483). This Federal law stipulates that CNAs must:

Successfully complete a training course that includes (a minimum of 75 hours of) theory and (at least 16 hours) supervised practical training or clinical
Pass a certification exam
Have their names listed on a state registry

Mandated training for CNAs

So what exactly can CNAs do to assist the nurse? Well, Nurse Aide Training programs are required to provide instruction in the following areas:

Basic nursing skills - for example, how to take and record vital signs and measure height and weight, as well as recognizing and reporting abnormal changes in body functioning
Personal care skills – such as bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting and skin care; transferring, positioning and turning
Mental health and social service skills – so that they understand how to respond to a resident’s behavior
Care for cognitively impaired residents – so that they understand how to adapt care for someone with dementia
Basic restorative skills – or supporting the resident in self care, and maintaining range of motion
Resident’s rights – providing privacy, maintaining confidentiality, and promoting the resident’s right to make personal choices, and to be free from abuse, mistreatment and neglect

UAP in Hospital Settings

Many acute care settings require their UAP to be CNAs. But since they are unlicensed workers, and therefore have no scope of practice, they can be trained to do more than what they learned in their basic Nurse Aide Training programs.

This helps to explain why a nursing assistant who works in a hospital can perform fingerstick testing or even assist a resident with simple oxygen administration… unlike CNAs working in LTC.

Now it’s your turn

Did your nursing program require you to first be a CNA? Do you think this will help you to be a better nurse?

How well prepared are you to work with CNAs?