Every state handles Nursing Assistant education a little differently, and likewise, every state has different guidelines for practicing Nursing Assistants. Because of that, we learn new things every time we meet with a school from another state or region.
Recently, we had a slew of conversations with schools who always have a Care Plan outlined for daily care items for all patients. For example, when a student goes into a nursing home, they see a list of the items they have to do, separately recorded from the items Nurses have to complete. In the past, we shared an idea for how you can create a lesson plan about
recognizing which responsibilities are the CNA's vs. the Nurse's, but for regions who keep the two totally separate, here's an idea for you!
- As an instructor, open the patient's chart that you'll be using in the classroom or simulation lab and go straight to your orders.
- Remove any orders like x-rays or medications that do not apply to your students.
- Add any additional orders for daily care items that are not already on the patients (for example, checking vital signs, ambulating patient and bathing).
- When the student logs in and reviews the Patient Summary, they will only see orders that apply to them, creating a "Care Plan" for CNAs.
For schools with both CNA and LPN/RN/ADN/BSN programs, these activities are a great way to bring both levels of students together with a shared chart and have them work through a skills lab or simulation just like they would in real life. Does the CNA student ask questions at appropriate times? Does the Nursing student give clear directions and only give the CNA tasks that fall within their scope of responsibility? Remember - having an Academic EHR gives you the ability to simulate a real environment for your students. Don't be afraid to get creative!
