Are you a preparing for upcoming CNA exams in 2023? Knowing how to properly assist patients with their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) is key to success. To help you prepare, we’ve created a practice test consisting of 25 questions and corresponding answers. Here, you’ll gain a better understanding of ADLs and refresh on the techniques to help patients with their daily needs.
This is a timed quiz. You will be given 90 seconds per question. Are you ready?
Care at HS is best done when:
HS stands for "hour of sleep." The best time for this care is at the time the resident prefers to go to bed, before any evening medications for sleep have been administered.
Mr. Vierra has an IV. When you bathe him, you should:
The IV must be kept above the level of the infusion. Do not turn off or adjust the IV. Residents with IVs may be bathed but need special care.
Which of the following is one basic safety guideline for bathing a resident?
You should always wash from cleanest to dirtiest so the clean areas are finished while equipment remains cleaner. Then wash the dirtiest areas so clean is not re-contaminated. ie. Face is first, perineum is last. Answer C is incorrect because you check and stabilize the water temperature before putting the resident in the shower. If the water is too cold, the resident may flinch and lose balance. If the water is too hot the resident may suffer scalding. Water should not exceed 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Answers B and D are incorrect because, while the need for privacy is important, a resident should not be left alone with the door closed. A curtain can be used for privacy but leaving a resident alone is dangerous.
You have measured the urinary output of your resident at the end of your 8 hour shift. The output is 25 ounces. You should do what next?
You have to mathematically convert the ounces into cc s because cc s is the unit of measurement that is used to record intake and output. This urinary output is within normal limits so there is no reason to immediately report it to the nurse. You must report urinary outputs of less than 30 cc per hour.
When CNAs do pulses, they should note which of the following?
When you do pulses, you should note all the characteristics of the pulse. These characteristics are rate (number of beats per minute), quality (is it regular or irregular?), and fullness (is it thread and weak or is it full and bounding?) .
____________ may result when patients or residents ignore the urge to defecate.
Habitually ignoring the urge to defecate can lead to constipation and the accumulation of feces.
You are the CNA working with Mrs. Xavier. She is an advanced Alzheimer's patient whom you must get out of bed and transfer to a wheelchair. You should do which of the following?
Alzheimer's patients can become fearful of everyday actions such as getting into a wheelchair. Explain to the patient what you are about to do. Have help from the start in the event that you need it. If you can perform the transfer by yourself, your coworker can remain by just in case you need help and then leave. This prevents the awkward and dangerous moment occurring when the patient is in process of transfer and you realize something is out of place or you cannot do this alone. Explain each step s you go to the patient. If may relieve fears and elicit her help in the transfer as much as she is able. Answer B is incorrect because you should always use a gait belt for transferring for the patient's and your safety. Explain to her what it is and talk her through her fears. Answer C is incorrect because if you feel your back straining and cannot safely complete the transfer, you should stop the transfer, explain to the patent that you are off balance or straining and you don't want to hurt her. Get help to do the transfer. Never continue a transfer when you are straining as you will hurt yourself and possibly your patient.
Miss Jackson has a tube feeding and is NPO. She is unconscious. You should:
This resident needs special oral hygiene to remove secretions, moisten mucous membranes and prevent aspiration. Unconscious residents cannot reliably rinse out their mouths without risking aspiration. The head is turned to the side during special oral care so secretions may drain to the side and not down the throat.
You must ___________ before and after feeding every patient in the dining room.
You must wash your hands before and after feeding every patient in the dining room. You must wash your hands before and after every patient contact. Feeding is a patient contact. It is not necessary to wear gloves when you are feeding a patient or resident and it is not necessary to wash the table. Lastly, group meals in a dining room are a very good form of socialization. Patients and residents should be permitted, and encouraged, to remain in the dining room for socialization even when their meal is done.
You are caring for Mr. Smith who has had an amputation below the left knee and wears a prosthesis. When you bathe Mr. Smith, what care must be given considering his condition?
When bathing a person who wears a prosthesis due to a limb amputation, you must check the residual limb for signs of pressure sores or open areas. Even if a prosthesis is in use for a long time, pressure can develop if the residual limb swells, retains fluid or if the prosthesis lining becomes eroded or frayed or if moisture becomes trapped between the skin and the prosthesis. It is not recommended to shave a limb as the resulting short hairs can get pushed back into the skin and become ingrown with the risk of becoming infected.
You are preparing to bathe a resident who weighs 300 pounds. You should:
Skin folds not properly cleaned can develop skin breakdown and infection. Most residents are more comfortable with the head elevated or flat. It is not within your scope of practice to initiate discussion on diet therapy. Always ask for help when needed to provide for your safety or the safety of the resident.
When performing perineal care for a male, you should:
This technique follows the principle of working from least contaminated to most contaminated. The resident is offered the opportunity to empty his bladder and bowels before the procedure begins. Cleansing is done whether or not the resident is circumcised.
You take the blood pressure for your patient while they are in bed and then you take it as soon as they rise from the bed and stand. The patient's blood pressure in bed was 152/85 and the blood pressure when standing was 96/46. You should
You should report these blood pressures to the nurse immediately because these differences are NOT normal. Although blood pressures vary slightly from the lying to the sitting to the standing position, they do not change this much.
You wash Mrs. Gillette's hands before you feed her. The resident rarely feeds herself, so why should you wash her hands?
Although her routine is to be fed, she may be able to feed herself at times and should be encouraged to do so.
When you do daily weights for patients, the most accurate daily weights are taken
Daily weights should be done at the same time each day and every day. It does not matter if it is done in the morning, the afternoon or the evening as long as it is done the same time of day, every day.
You have been assigned to take the vital signs of Mr. Smith at specific intervals. Mr. Smith is very agitated and refuses to let you take his blood pressure at the required time because he says it always hurts when people pump the cuff up too high and he does not want it done. How should you handle this?
Vital signs are sometimes ordered at specific intervals and waiting may not be an option. To accommodate this patient and complete the vital signs, get his vital signs then find a cuff he will allow.
The nurse directs you to place your resident in a lateral position for two hours. The resident cannot support herself. To provide support you should:
This method provides comfort as well as keeps the resident in position. Immobilizing a resident with a blanket could be considered a restraint by limiting movement.
You have been assigned to take an apical pulse for one of the patients on the nursing unit. How will you do this?
An apical pulse is taken by placing a stethoscope over the heart and counting the number of beats per minute. Although you will also listen for an irregular pulse, an apical pulse is the number of beats per minute.
The purpose of soaking the feet as part of foot care is to
A foot soak not only more thoroughly cleans the feet than simply washing, it also provides a comfortable and pleasant experience for the patient or resident. It does not maintain an infection free patient area nor does it maintain safety.
You are feeding, and monitoring, a group of patients in the resident dining room. There is no sink in the dining room. What should you do?
You should use the hand sanitizer. Although the hand sanitizer may not be as effective as soap and water, it is highly effective if it is used properly. Additionally, you must go to the sink in the nursing station for thorough handwashing if you accidentally get any bodily fluids, like feces, on your hand(s).
Mr. Taylor is a blind person. You are passing out resident meals in the resident dining room. Mr. Taylor is able to eat on his own so you should
You should place the plate in front of Mr. Taylor and describe the position of each food using the positions on a clock. For example, you may say, "The potatoes are at 3 o'clock, the beans are at 9 o'clock, etc."
You are caring for Mrs. Oliver's dentures. You should:
Dentures should be brushed under cool or tepid running water. Dentures soaked in solution still need to be brushed daily.
You will be emptying urinary drainage bags at the end of your shift at 4 pm. You must do which of the following?
You must wear gloves when emptying all of the urinary drainage bags. This is part of our infection control procedures called standard precautions. You do not have to measure the urinary output for all patients, but you do have to measure it when the patient is having their intake and output measured and recorded. CNAs cannot disconnect the tubing from the catheter because this jeopardizes the integrity of this sterile system.
Which of the following does not cause aspiration?
Each action or device listed has the potential to cause or result in aspiration.
Mr. Thomas is a well groomed 68 year old male patient. He had prostate surgery two days ago. He has an indwelling catheter and a urinary drainage bag. You have weighed him at 9 am each morning for 3 mornings in a row. Today, on the 4th day, his morning weight is 3 pounds more than it was the day before. Why could he have gained these 3 pounds in one day, on a 1000 calorie diet?
It is very possible that the urinary drainage bag was emptied on previous days and not emptied today. This very often happens. Many nursing assistants and CNAs fail to empty these bags before doing weights. Nothing is obvious. Everything should be explored and looked into.