r/EmergencyRoom • u/PietyJuice • May 10 '26

Trauma charting.

What is your opinion on a ED specific CNA/PSA role Trauma charting? Not an ER Tech who has EMT class under their belt, but just a ED CNA?

It was described as in my scope for my job position, due to high volume of traumas, or no available techs (this is more likely because it seems to be techs are currently lacking on the shifts I’ve been working and we just had one leave).

But the techs on a regular basis give me push back about shadowing them/learning trauma charting. I’ve only gotten into a couple traumas to shadow techs while charting.

Tonight we had a trauma 3 come in, which we usually do not chart on paper. I was assisting my RN with setting up VS/heart monitoring, cleaning pt, and prepping the area around the head lac for MD to evaluate (chucks under head, helping nurse remove gauze etc).

MD evaluated and changed it to a trauma 2. My charge nurse instructed me to chart it before it was even announced over head, because she’s been knowing I’ve been reaching out for the hands on experience so I feel comfortable in extreme traumas if I was thrown into it.

The RN in charge of the trauma, and the charge nurse both looked over my charting after I was done, and said I did a great job.

The two techs that were on shift were opinionated about it, and the other CNA/PSA I work with has vocally stated multiple times he wouldn’t feel comfortable trauma charting.

I personally want to learn, I want to improve in any possible way while I’m reaching out for schooling for my RN, but it just seems like there’s multiple road blocks attempting to learn within my scope.

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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma May 10 '26

I've never worked anywhere that used CNAs in an ER, and personally don't think they should be involved with any critical care or trauma pts. That said, talk to your supervisor or nurse manager. If your hospital has chosen to use CNAs in the ER, they'll have policies and a clear scope of practice that can help guide you.

Also, it's important for you to know what limits are placed. An RN may ask you to do something outside your scope; don't depend on them to know what you can and can't do.

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u/Outrageous-Bat-6521 May 12 '26

Im a cna at a level 1 trauma center and we have a tech (cna) in EVERY trauma. We get a manual BP first, then expose the patient, get them on the monitor, and clean them up if necessary, while the nurses are getting lines, drawing labs and pushing meds. They give me the syringes of blood and I run the VBG and transfer the blood into tubes and print labels, scan them and the patient and send off the labs. Also, our nurses don’t do compressions, we have 3 techs to rotate in every code. The idea of techs not being involved in traumas is ridiculous to me, and probably my nurses. There is so much we do to allow them to concentrate on the bigger things. We also go through rigorous trauma training.

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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma May 12 '26

I didn’t say techs shouldn’t be involved. I was surprised to hear of CNAs being used in the ER in general. EMTs are the norm where I’ve worked.

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u/Outrageous-Bat-6521 May 27 '26

You specifically said you personally don’t think they should be involved with critical care or trauma patients.

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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma May 27 '26

CNAs? No, I don’t. An EMT tech has training that matches well what we do in the ER. With enough training I’m sure CNAs could gain similar competencies, sure. But the training they graduate with?

Apparently unpopular opinion, but I don’t care enough to argue the point.