26 Mar Can CNAs Draw Blood?
Learn about a Certified Nurse Aide or Certified Nursing Assistant’s roles, including whether or not they can inject a patient with a needle and draw blood from individuals. Plus, find out the full scope of practice for CNAs in Pennsylvania as well as training resources that are available.
CNAs are considered the foundation of nursing. These healthcare workers normally provide the majority of hands-on patient care duties. They include assisting patients with bathing, dressing, grooming, help walking, transferring from one place to another, positioning and turning bed bound patients, feeding, toileting, and additional essential activities of daily living. These are also known as ADLs.
A certified nursing assistant works under the supervision of a nurse. The nurse can be an LPN, Vocational Nurse, or Registered Nurse. It will depend on the facility or healthcare practice that the CNA works in. A CNA may be more limited in the scope of their duties that they are allowed to legally perform depending on the location of the care setting.
State laws that oversee healthcare workers like CNAs can differ significantly. A CNA working in one state may be legally able to pass medication in a long term care setting. A CNA in a different state may only be able to supervise or monitor patients that are capable to take their own medications.
Certified Nurse Aide CNA Scope of Practice
Scope of practice is a legal term assigned to licensed health professionals. CNAs are not licensed health professionals, but are considered unlicensed assistive personnel. Therefore, CNAs do not have a regulated scope of practice. However, they do have professional standards and job responsibilities to which they must comply. CNAs are trained to provide a basic level of care to manage care needs. They also optimize quality of life for older or disabled adults. With no regulated scope of practice, many states recognize the Code of Federal Regulations (42 CFR x 483) as the unofficial CNA scope of practice.
The regulations direct care-based decisions for residents in nursing facilities. Institutions that employ Certified Nurse Aides follow the code to ensure that they will be eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Also, the same regulations are used to guide CNA training and to outline workplace duties. Specifically, the 42 CFR x 483 suggests that CNAs must be trained in how to provide basic nursing care and skills as outlined below.
Nine core Certified Nurse Aide functions
Certified Nurse Aides across America are ultimately regulated by federal regulations. These regulations, referred to as the Code of Federal regulations (42 CFR x 483) list 9 tasks that are allowable by each state. These 9 tasks are as follows:
- Personal care skills
- Safety/emergency procedures
- Basic nursing skills,
- Infection control
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Care of cognitively impaired residents
- Basic restorative care
- Mental health and social service needs
- Residents’ rights
Expanded Certified Nurse Aide functions
Eleven (11) states in total allow CNAs to perform workplace tasks that could be considered expanded care tasks. That is, they allow one or more tasks beyond the basic care tasks listed above.
Pennsylvania state regulations
The state of Pennsylvania is not one of the 11 states that allow workplace tasks that go beyond the 9 core CNA functions.
Nursing delegation to Certified Nurse Aides
Much of the day-to-day resident care provided by a CNA is based on the delegation of activities by licensed nurses. Delegation by licensed nurses occurs to make sure that professional nursing standards reach the bedside of a patient or resident.
Can Certified Nurse Aides, Certified Nursing Assistants, or CNAs draw blood?
Drawing blood is not one of the core functions of a CNA. Therefore, a CNA will not get trained to draw blood as part of a Certified Nurse Aide course. They also cannot begin to draw blood upon starting their career as a CNA either. Under normal protocol, a CNA will not draw blood.
However, this does not mean that a Certified Nurse Aide will never be able to draw blood. A CNA may be able to draw blood if they obtain additional training or certification courses. This could include being a Medical Assistant or taking Phlebotomy classes, for example. Some healthcare settings that a CNA works in, such as in a hospital, may offer on the job training courses like phlebotomy classes that allow the CNA to draw blood.
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Perhaps you are considering a career as a CNA but do not want to draw blood. You won’t have to worry, because in Pennsylvania, and almost all states, regularly trained CNAs will not have to draw blood. In fact, it is out of the practice of a Certified Nurse Aide’s responsibility. Therefore, a CNA should never draw blood, unless they have received specific training or instruction that allows them to do so under state law.
If you are interested in drawing blood but still want to be a CNA, don’t fret. Just because you start your career as a CNA, it does not mean that you will never be able to draw blood. Certified Nurse Aides regularly take additional classes and certifications that allow them to expand their scope. They also may move into further career advancement by getting education as a nurse or other healthcare role.
Do CNAs need to be certified?
To work as a Certified Nurse Aide, an individual must be trained and certified as a nurse aide or nursing assistant before taking a job as a CNA.
How can I get certified to be a CNA?
To get certified as a CNA, interested individuals will need to take an approved CNA course by the state. In the state of Pennsylvania, candidates can look at the PA Department of Education’s Nurse Aide Training Program page for more information.
CareBridge Academy’s CNA certification program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a great option to get you on the ground running as a CNA quickly and affordably. Located right in the heart of Philadelphia, CareBridge Academy offers comprehensive programs designed to create the best-equipped CNAs in the region. Best of all, you can be certified in just four weeks! Because of the high and growing demand for Certified Nurse Aides, an CNA certification is a surefire way to jumpstart your career in the medical field.
Can the cost of my CNA course be reimbursed?
Yes! Federal Law Requires CNA Program Reimbursement by all states, including Pennsylvania.
If you get employed by a Medicaid participating nursing home facility, you are entitled to the reimbursement of your CNA program. This also includes the cost of certification testing fees as well. Requirements also include that the candidate graduates with:
- Completion of at least 75 hours of an accredited CNA program. CareBridge Academy’s program qualifies under these regulations
- A passing score on your written and manual certification exam
- Employment in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility within 12 months of certification
- Pass a criminal background check at employment
Certification resources
Check out our FAQ page for more programs, school, and information on Certified Nurse Aide training and the programs available. This should help prospective students uncover any questions they may have as it relates to a new career in the medical field.
CareBridge Academy was created to provide CNAs with a certification option that is flexible, affordable, and convenient. At only $1645, the CareBridge Academy CNA program offers the best of both worlds: a reasonable training cost which offers its graduates a certification that is highly flexible and not restricted to just one long term care facility.
In addition, CareBridge Academy has established community partnerships and relationships with a variety of organizations including long term care facilities, home healthcare companies, and hospitals. We help assist and connect students with local Philadelphia employers in need of Certified Nurse Aides. Finally, CareBridge Academy also offers Home Health Aide (HHA) courses, which allow even further career options.
Still have questions? Contact us today by email, text, or phone call and we can gladly answer any questions you may have.
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