Red Cross CNA

[JJR512]

Anyone familiar with the American Red Cross CNA training program? Is it good, bad, mediocre, or what?

Some of the hospitals around my area will hire a CNA or CNA/EMT-B to work as an ER Tech.

As far as I can find out, none of the community colleges around my area have a CNA class. I know of some nursing homes that offer a train-while-you-work program. Some of the trade schools may offer it as well.

 

[JJR512]

Anyone? Any thoughts?

 

[C.T.E.M.R.]

im not sure about the course, but here in ct the hospitals will hire you as a paitient care tech with just a emt-B cert no CNA required, not sure about where you live. id call the hospitals and ask. hope this helps.

 

[RALS504]

Get ahold of the Hospital's Emergency Dept ERN (Education Nurse). They will tell you what they are looking for. At my ER all tech staff is at least EMT-B most are EMT-I or Medics as well as most RNs have held an EMT license at sometime. We don't even allow CNAs to work ER without an EMT card. Good luck!!

 

[JJR512]

I actually already know of one hospital that will hire someone with both EMT-B and CNA as a tech, and another hospital that will hire someone with CNA only as a tech. For the ER. I haven't checked every hospital, though, but the one that wants CNA only is the one closest to me, and a decent hospital.

 

[Jay]

Didn't know that the Red Cross was offering such a program. I have been tempted lately to get an instructor certification from them too but they are not so big here in Philly. I remember that everyone loved them back in New York though. Here in Philly, everyone has AHA or ASHI certs and you hardly ever see someone in EMS with anything else.

 

[JJR512]

Yeah, I wonder if the Red Cross will insist that I have Red Cross CPR. I already have AHA CPR.

 

[JJR512]

Here's a link to their website...It's got a lot of random characters in it, I hope it's a permanent link... http://www.redcross.org/portal/site...toid=d9b511eea5812210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

 

[Jay]

Everybody Loves AHA

Yeah, I wonder if the Red Cross will insist that I have Red Cross CPR. I already have AHA CPR.

I can't speak for the ARC as they are the one major EMS training company that I am not a current instructor with but I do know that they base their BLS and general CPR criteria off of the AHA's ECC criteria that they set nationally (and on a larger scale is used internationally). Pretty much everyone bases their guidelines off of the AHA, including ASHI as the AHA is the *gold standard* in ECC (Emergency Cardiac Care). Just in case you didn't know these standards get reviewed every 5 years and that's when the major changes come into play, for example we just had the 2010 update and those standards will be implemented into the courses by March 2011. So next time you will recert for BLS some of the changes from this year will be at least 2 inches for adult compressions (was 1.5 to 2 inches), at least 100 compressions per minute (was "about" 100 and the video even showed 80/minute to demonstrate the low end of acceptable), etc. There are several more and I know that ASHI already refreshed their criteria based on the new AHA ECC standards with their G2010 update which is available to instructors now...

I am getting sidetracked big-time, the bottom line is that your card should be acceptable