Practical nurses please?

Question

Can someone tell me what a typical practical nurse's day is like?

(RPN here in Ontario)

Also what's a Cna?

Answer 1

Depends on if you work in acute (hospital) or long term (nursing home) care.

Typically, in long term care, you will begin a day shift by checking in with the night staff and management to see how your patients are doing and note any changes or incidents. You will begin to prepare for the day's first med pass, injections, physical assessments, etc.

You will be doing a lot of charting and paperwork afterwards. You may need to speak with other members of the team regarding some patients/Residents, including doctors making their weekly rounds or coming in for an emergency. In some environments, you will also help the Health Care Aides perform personal care duties.

Any specialized care, such as g-tubes (feeding tubes) or feeding dysphagic clients is done by you. You may also be assessing and dressing wounds, performing footcare on diabetic clients, giving enemas, etc. Basically, anything that needs to be done that cannot be done by the aides. You are (typically) the team leader on that floor, unless your floor also requires an RN.

You are also first in line for any "Code Blue" calls, or any situations in which the aides need your help to care for the patient. In general, most people in LTC are stable, but things do arise.

For LPNs/RPNs working in acute care, you usually get to perform more duties (managing peripheral IV lines, IM injections, catheter care and oxygen therapy, etc.), but you also work directly under the RNs on the floor. If a care aide is not available, it is usually the PN who will do the "dirty work", such as peri care, emptying bedpans, giving baths, etc.

Some PNs work in doctor's offices, performing vital signs assessments, drawing blood, helping with minor surgery, and giving injections, etc.

This list is not inclusive of all duties, but you get the idea.

Also, a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) is the same as a Health Care Aide/Special Care Aide/Continuing Care Assistant. It is a nursing aide/assistant. That said, typically the US uses this designation (as far as I know), and the CNA program is *typically* less intense than the HCA programs in Canada. In my province, HCAs go to school for almost a year, and take courses in dementia, nutrition, etc.  From what I've heard, a typical CNA program in the US is 5 months.

In Ontario and most of Canada (there are some exceptions), LPNs now have a 2 year diploma, and can do much of the clinical work RNs do. This may be different in places outside of Canada.

Good luck with your career planning!