The CNA practice test for observation and reporting is a 25 question test that will help you become familiar with the basics of observing and reporting on patient care. The questions cover basic concepts such as identifying the patient’s condition, recording observations, and making recommendations. After taking the test, you will be able to understand the basics of observing and reporting on patient care.
This is a timed quiz. You will be given 90 seconds per question. Are you ready?
Your patient has a number of physical and emotional needs. Some of these needs are the need for safety, the need for fluids and the need for mobility. Which of these needs must be addressed during all aspects of care?
The safety needs must be addressed at all times and during all aspects of care, including when you are addressing the nutrition, fluids, and mobility.
At the end of your shift, Sophie T. starts crying when you walk into her room. Sophie is usually very cheerful. You speak to Sophie and she tells you that she is very sad because she has not seen her family in weeks. Which of the senses allowed you to know that Sophie was crying?
You have used your senses of sight and hearing. You heard Sophie cry (auditory or hearing) and you saw signs that she was crying (sight or visual). Touch was not used to perceive, or observe, the crying. Common sense is not one of the five senses that humans use to observe.
The nurse has written a nursing order in John Taylor's nursing care plan. It states, "Assist the patient to the bedside commode prn". When will this patient get this assistance to the commode?
PRN is the acceptable abbreviation for whenever needed or whenever necessary.
Your elderly patient has a temperature of 98.5 degrees. Is there anything else that the CNA should do, in addition to documenting this temperature?
No, there is nothing else that the CNA should do. This temperature, for an elderly patient, is within normal limits.
Your resident is NPO. This means:
NPO is a Latin abbreviation that translates into "nothing by mouth" meaning no food, fluid or oral medications.
Your resident put on her call light multiple times during the shift with requests to be toileted. However, each time she only voided scant amounts of urine. This can be a sign of:
Frequent voiding in small amounts can indicate a urinary tract infection. Overhydration would increase fluid output. Respiratory illness would have no effect on voiding patterns. Never assume a resident's frequent use of the call light is simply for attention.
You are caring for a group of patients and you hear a loud crash at the end of the floor. Which of your senses allowed you to hear this loud crash?
You hear with your auditory nerves, or your auditory senses. Visual senses allow you to see; tactile senses allow you to feel things like texture and temperature. Lastly gustation is the sense of taste.
Mr. Delgado states he is having severe pain at his fracture site. You report this to the nurse. What type of information is this observation?
Sensations that can be experienced only by the resident, such as pain, nausea or itching, are subjective. Subjective reporting of resident sensations or emotions plus objective reporting from CNA observations provides valuable information on resident conditions.
An example of point-of-care testing would be:
Point-of-care testing is testing done at the resident's location at the time care is required. It allows information to be obtained, action to be taken and documentation to be completed, increasing accuracy.
Which is NOT an acceptable abbreviation?
D/C is not an acceptable abbreviation. It can be confused with both discharge and discontinue.
You are working in an assisted living facility where some residents have kitchens in their units. You have noticed that one resident often puts something on the stove and forgets she has done this. What must you do?
This covers both the safety issue and the resident's right to be informed. Answers B and C are incorrect because this is a safety issue and has to be reported.
The care plan for Mrs. Stewart says she is to receive passive range of motion exercises to her left knee and ankle BID. How frequently will the resident receive range of motion exercises?
BID is the abbreviation for twice a day, alternatively written as 2X/day.
How many milligrams of sodium are in 1 teaspoon of normal table salt?
Normal table salt has 2400mg of sodium in a teaspoon.
What should you do?
You should listen to the Sophie and her feelings with genuine concern and compassion. Patients and residents should be allowed to ventilate their feelings. Listening is a part of good communication. You should not tell the person to stop crying. This is not helpful. You should also not call the family because this is not the role of the CNA.
Mrs. B. curses at you and tries to strike you after you knock on the door to greet her at the beginning of the shift. What should you do?
Report this to the nurse immediately. Mrs. B. is exhibiting dangerous, disturbed behavior and it must be addressed by the nurse. You cannot ignore this and you, as a CNA, cannot restrain a patient because the patient is a danger to staff. The nurse must assess Mrs. B. and intervene in terms of restraints, if they are needed. This is not part of the CNA role.
You have been taught that sodium control is important in your residents with Congestive Heart Failure. What symptoms should you look out for and report?
Increasing ankle edema is a sign of worsening CHF and should be reported and monitored carefully. Answer A is incorrect because a weight gain of 3 pounds in one day may be a result of not having a bowel movement. A weight gain of 7 pounds over 2 days is more significant and should be reported. Answer C is incorrect because CHF does not cause lower blood pressure when fluid begins to accumulate.
When doing HS (Hour of sleep) care what is the proper oral care with a patient that has dentures or bridges?
Proper oral care at HS is to have the patient remove the dentures, clean and soak them and then store them in a container.
Your resident is a diabetic who is bedbound. When you do his bath you notice white crusted material under his foreskin. What should you do?
The area requires meticulous cleaning and should be documented for subsequent CNAs to observe and keep clean. Any material or unusual findings under the foreskin needs to be reported to the nurse so medication can be applied or care can be taken to ward off fungal or yeast infections.
You are beginning a new career as a CNA. Which of the following senses will you not use throughout your new career?
The only sense that you will not use is the sense of taste for obvious reasons. You will use hearing (visual senses), touch (tactile senses), sight (visual senses) and smell for odors.
Your resident has a history of somnambulism. What is this?
Sleep walking is somnambulism.
Mr. Gray is in a bad mood today. You enter his room to offer care and he says "get the hell outta here and don't come back." You should report to the nurse that Mr. Gray:
Particularly, in a potentially difficult situation, report what the resident said without paraphrasing or adding your own meaning or interpretation to his or her remarks. You may be asked to document what the resident actually said - not what you feel is the meaning of the words.
Should you report Sophie's crying to the nurse?
You should report the crying to the nurse because Sophie's crying is an emotional patient change. Sophie is not in immediate physical or emotional danger, but it is still must be reported to the nurse, even if your shift is over.
The CNA observes sudden changes in their patient's health status. Which of the following changes is the highest in terms of priority?
The physical changes are the highest priority, followed by the emotional/behavioral changes. The socioeconomic changes are the LEAST in term of priorities.
Your resident voided 60 mL of urine at 1:00 pm in the afternoon. Your facility uses international time (the 24-hour clock.) How will you document the time of this resident action?
International time starts from midnight as 0000 and always utilizes four numbers, no colon and no am or pm. 1200 is 12 pm (noon) and 100 is added for each hour after noon.
Mrs. Pope wants a shower and is demanding it right now. It is not her scheduled day or shift and you have others to shower. You hear her on the phone telling her daughter she has not had a shower in days and that you are refusing to do it. How should you handle this?
It does not necessarily get her showered this shift but it gives her an avenue to voice her complaint. Answer B is incorrect because, while it is good to report it so the nurse will not get blindsided by an angry daughter, it does not address the resident's dissatisfaction. Answer C is incorrect because this is a hope and does not relieve the dissatisfaction. It also may be detrimental to teamwork.
