As a CNA, your responsibility is to provide quality care for patients. One of the most important aspects of providing care is foot care. This blog will focus on some of the basic foot care skills you need to know in order to pass the CNA certification exam. First, we will go over what supplies are needed for this task, then I’ll teach you how to do each skill step by step with a video demonstration!
The supplies needed:
- Basin (1)
- Washcloth (2)
- Medical gloves (1 pair)
- Cotton balls (2)
- Towels (2)
- Soap
- Lotion
Here is a video demonstration on how to provide foot care
Provides Foot Care
The process for providing foot care during the CNA skills exam is as follows:
- First, Knock before entering the patient’s room and introduce yourself with a warm smile. As you enter, greet them by name and explain what your next step is going to be in caring for their needs.
- Close the privacy curtain and wash your hands to be safe.
- Fill a basin with warm water, and make sure it’s the right temperature for your patient. Lay down some towels or something else to protect against spillage as you clean up!
- Wash your patient’s feet with soap and water. Use a clean washcloth to scrub the top, bottom, front and back of each foot as well as between their toes.
- After the patient’s foot has been washed and rinsed, dry it off with a towel. You should also take care to dry in between their toes especially if they have any cuts or scrapes there.
- Once dry, rub the lotion on your hands. Then gently apply the lotion from top to bottom of the foot in a circular motion also rubbing downward from heel to toes. Remove any excess that does not absorb or is rubbed off as you go along this way!
- Make sure the water basin is empty, clean and dry. Dispose of or properly wash any items that were used in your process including gloves and linen as per protocol.
- Ask patients who’ve been through this process before whether there was anything specific they wanted to change. Ask the patient how they would like their bed adjusted and set it to where you are comfortable.
- Again wash your hands, and ensure the patient has a clean environment. Give them their call light so they know when to use it if something is wrong later on. And close the privacy curtain for extra safety precautions!
The CNA certification exam is a big step in your career journey, and it’s important to be well-prepared. Hope you found our post useful. To more CNA skill like this one visits our other posts on the site.