If you are not in the medical field, it can be difficult not knowing what each of the acronyms in the title of this post means. For the most, the acronym RN would be the easiest to figure out, but the others may be a stretch. And even if you can tell what each acronym stands for, very few are able to differentiate between the job responsibilities of each. So in this quick blog, we have decided to break each one down for you today, to help you better understand just in time for your next doctor’s appointment.
First up, let’s determine what each acronym stands for:
RN – Registered Nurse
LPN – Licensed Practical Nurse
CNA – Certified Nursing Assistant
CMT – Certified Medication Technician
GNA – Geriatric Nursing Assistant
That was easy, right? Oh, course it was. Now let’s define each title according to http://www.dictionary.com & nusringassistantguide.com:
RN – Registered Nurse: “a nurse who has graduated from a college’s nursing program or from a school of nursing and has passed a national licensing exam.”
LPN – Licensed Practical Nurse: “a person who has graduated from an accredited school of nursing and has become licensed to provide basic nursing care under the supervision of a physician or registered nurse.”
CNA – Certified Nursing Assistant: “a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, helps patients or clients with healthcare needs under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). A CNA may also be known as a Nursing Assistant (NA), a Patient Care Assistant (PCA), or a State Tested Nurse Assistant (STNA).”
CMT – Certified Medication Technician: “a certified medication technician (CMT) is a certified nurse assistant (CNA) who has completed additional specialty training in medication and records.”
GNA – Geriatric Nursing Assistant: “an unlicensed caregiver who provides basic care needs, such as bathing and feeding, to residents in nursing homes or other healthcare facilities. According to federal regulations, GNAs must successfully complete at least a prescribed training course and register in the state in which they are practicing. Geriatric nursing assistants are a specially trained class of certified nursing assistants.”
There you have it. In the world of home healthcare, depending on the agency you decide to choose, the support staff available to you can be made up of one or all nursing fields listed above, in addition to other fields which include Physical Therapists (PT), Occupational Therapists (OT), Social Workers (SW), Speech Therapists (ST), and Nurse Practitioners (NP). If you can find an agency that offers all of the above, you may have winner agency on your hands.
Now we know this week’s blog was quick, sweet, and to the point, but we hope it gives you a little better insight on the roles and responsibilities of the support staff that make up the nursing field.
Vastland Health-Services Blog 