As in any other domain of work, the nursing industry, which has always been of utmost importance, also has seen many developments from all the aspects with time. This ever-important facet of this industry is because there would hardly be a time in the history of mankind when someone or the other would cease to fall sick for one reason or the other.
This demand for the profession has led many to actually step into it by going through formal education and training in it, and take up different positions, some of which are the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Registered Nurse(RN) and so on, with different responsibilities attached to each.
In this case, the certified nursing assistants work under the supervision of the RNs. However, at times, the situation is such that there is no other option left for the RN but to function as a certified nurse assistant as well, even though in recent times there has come up certain issues as regards the fact – Can RN work as CNA? Read below to know the answer.
Can RN Work as a CNA?
So, the doubt regarding this question should not be too much of a topic to ponder upon. A Registered Nurse has gone through more training than a certified nursing assistant and that is the reason why this position has been assigned with more authority and responsibilities than that of a certified nursing assistant. And there is not much of anything to lose. But on the contrary, one would only gain from the experience since that would mean brushing up on all the knowledge again.
As regards the question, can CNA work as an RN? The only answer is that they can surely do that if they have no problem in that because the ultimate motto of the nursing profession has to be kept in mind, i.e. to be of help to the sick in their times of need and ensure that they heal fast.
Is it Legal for an RN to Work as a CNA?
Yes, it is legal. Although it may not be a good idea to work in both fields simultaneously, for the following reasons:
- RNs have more training which is necessary when working as a professional caregiver.
- It’s difficult for an RN to keep their concentration when doing medical care with CNA responsibilities hovering over them at the same time.
- One might take a position they are qualified for and that should suffice in lieu of needing another job.
- Nurses and CNAs often use different units in hospitals or clinics within various departments so not every unit would allow such dual duties anyway.
How Much do They Get Paid, If an RN Work as a CNA?
It depends on the facilities and their requirements. If you are doing this as a short-term thing, and not for long-term employment, then your pay will be that of an RN. However if it’s long term work, then you generally get paid as much as CNAs do. You’ll also need to ask the HR department about working conditions before accepting a position if you’re only looking for one task or interest as a type of gig rather than full-time work (so typically uniforms, shift length, cleaning duty etc). For more accurate information contact your state organization along with asking any nursing/healthcare professionals in your area what they think is good pay for this kind of job.
Why Does an RN Need to Function as a CNA?
Various causes might make a Registered Nurse (RN) function similarly as a Certified Nursing Assistant, one of which is the fact that an RN’s job is difficult to come across in most of the cases due to many a reason, even after the person has a license for that.
As the rise in the cost of living has actually made it impossible to sit idle at home, more and more persons have no other option but to keep sustaining in a job, even though they are not very happy with it. And this can also be seen as the cause why many RNs still continue working as certified nursing aides even after getting their RN certificate until they come across a proper RN job.
However, as the seniority in the type of work goes with the increase in the responsibilities, the pay package of a Registered Nurse has to be more than that of a certified nurse aide. Even though the person has an RN license, it is not possible for the hospital or the nursing home to pay a greater amount of money for a kind of work with lesser responsibilities. This results in either the facility lending out a higher amount of money for the certified nurse assistant work or the person being content with a lesser amount of money even with a higher degree.
Besides, some facilities at times run short of certified nurse assistants or they have no option for the hiring of certified nursing aides at all and then an RN cannot help but do the job of a certified nursing aide, right from answering call requests to assisting the sick people in having their meals to looking after their sanitary requirements.