CNA certified nursing assistant exam cram Edition: 2nd edition. (2017)
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CNA
Certified Nursing Assistant
Second Edition
Linda Whitenton, Marty Walker
Pearson
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 USA
Certified Nursing Assistant
Second Edition
Linda Whitenton, Marty Walker
Pearson
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 USA
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram, Second Edition
Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the
information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this
book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability
assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-5886-6
ISBN-10: 0-7897-5886-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017938512
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: June 2017
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been
appropriately capitalized. Pearson IT Certification cannot attest to the accuracy of this information.
Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or
service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no
warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The authors and the
publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any
loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.
Special Sales
For information about buying this title in bulk quantities, or for special sales opportunities
(which may include electronic versions; custom cover designs; and content particular to your
business, training goals, marketing focus, or branding interests), please contact our corporate
sales department at corpsales@pearsoned.com or (800) 382-3419.
For government sales inquiries, please contact governmentsales@pearsoned.com.
For questions about sales outside the U.S., please contact intlcs@pearson.com.
Editor-in-Chief
Mark Taub
Product Line Manager
Brett Bartow
Acquisitions Editor
Michelle Newcomb
Development Editor
Christopher Cleveland
Managing Editor
Sandra Schroeder
Senior Project Editor
Tonya Simpson
Copy Editor
Barbara Hacha
Indexer
Cheryl Lenser
Proofreader
Sasirekha Durairajan
Technical Editor
Steve Picray
Publishing Coordinator
Vanessa Evans
Cover Designer
Chuti Prasertsith
Compositor
codeMantra
Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the
information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this
book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability
assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-5886-6
ISBN-10: 0-7897-5886-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017938512
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: June 2017
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been
appropriately capitalized. Pearson IT Certification cannot attest to the accuracy of this information.
Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or
service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no
warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The authors and the
publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any
loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.
Special Sales
For information about buying this title in bulk quantities, or for special sales opportunities
(which may include electronic versions; custom cover designs; and content particular to your
business, training goals, marketing focus, or branding interests), please contact our corporate
sales department at corpsales@pearsoned.com or (800) 382-3419.
For government sales inquiries, please contact governmentsales@pearsoned.com.
For questions about sales outside the U.S., please contact intlcs@pearson.com.
Editor-in-Chief
Mark Taub
Product Line Manager
Brett Bartow
Acquisitions Editor
Michelle Newcomb
Development Editor
Christopher Cleveland
Managing Editor
Sandra Schroeder
Senior Project Editor
Tonya Simpson
Copy Editor
Barbara Hacha
Indexer
Cheryl Lenser
Proofreader
Sasirekha Durairajan
Technical Editor
Steve Picray
Publishing Coordinator
Vanessa Evans
Cover Designer
Chuti Prasertsith
Compositor
codeMantra
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Contents at a Glance
CHAPTER 1 What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam 1
CHAPTER 2 The Roles and Responsibilities of the Nursing Assistant 15
CHAPTER 3 Promotion of Health and Safety 31
CHAPTER 4 Promotion of Function and Health of Residents 45
CHAPTER 5 Specialized Care 71
CHAPTER 6 Clinical Skills Performance Checklist 99
Practice Exam I 135
Answers to Practice Exam I 151
Practice Exam II 159
Answers to Practice Exam II 175
Practice Exam III 183
Answers to Practice Exam III 199
APPENDIX A Nursing Assistant Test Cross-Reference 207
Glossary 209
Index 219
CHAPTER 1 What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam 1
CHAPTER 2 The Roles and Responsibilities of the Nursing Assistant 15
CHAPTER 3 Promotion of Health and Safety 31
CHAPTER 4 Promotion of Function and Health of Residents 45
CHAPTER 5 Specialized Care 71
CHAPTER 6 Clinical Skills Performance Checklist 99
Practice Exam I 135
Answers to Practice Exam I 151
Practice Exam II 159
Answers to Practice Exam II 175
Practice Exam III 183
Answers to Practice Exam III 199
APPENDIX A Nursing Assistant Test Cross-Reference 207
Glossary 209
Index 219
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Contents
Chapter 1:
What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Taking the Written Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Testing Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Testing Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Answering the Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Taking the Clinical Skills Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Self-Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 2:
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Nursing Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Your Role and Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Job Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Other Tasks and Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Job Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Personal Qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The Nursing Assistant as a Member of the Health-Care Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Other Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Being a Team Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Communication and Interpersonal Skills Needed for
Effective CNA Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Legal and Ethical Considerations in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Resident Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 3:
Promotion of Health and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Review of Body Systems Affected by Aging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Communicable Diseases and Their Effect on Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter 1:
What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Taking the Written Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Testing Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Testing Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Answering the Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Taking the Clinical Skills Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Self-Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 2:
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Nursing Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Your Role and Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Job Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Other Tasks and Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Job Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Personal Qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The Nursing Assistant as a Member of the Health-Care Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Other Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Being a Team Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Communication and Interpersonal Skills Needed for
Effective CNA Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Legal and Ethical Considerations in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Resident Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 3:
Promotion of Health and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Review of Body Systems Affected by Aging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Communicable Diseases and Their Effect on Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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Contents
v
Role of the Nursing Assistant to Prevent the Spread of
Communicable Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Medical Asepsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Mask, Eye Protection, Face Shield, Gowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Sharp Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Resident Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Linens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Surgical Asepsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Resident Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Reporting Accidents or Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Chapter 4:
Promotion of Function and Health of Residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Personal Care Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Activities of Daily Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Shaving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Nail Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Restorative Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Self-Care and Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Mobility/Immobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Health Maintenance and Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Psychosocial Care Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Emotional and Mental Health Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Cultural Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Spiritual Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Sexual Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Data Collection and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Chapter 5:
Specialized Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Physical Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Vision Impairment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
v
Role of the Nursing Assistant to Prevent the Spread of
Communicable Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Medical Asepsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Mask, Eye Protection, Face Shield, Gowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Sharp Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Resident Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Linens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Surgical Asepsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Resident Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Reporting Accidents or Incidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Chapter 4:
Promotion of Function and Health of Residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Personal Care Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Activities of Daily Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Shaving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Nail Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Restorative Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Self-Care and Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Mobility/Immobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Health Maintenance and Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Psychosocial Care Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Emotional and Mental Health Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Cultural Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Spiritual Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Sexual Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Data Collection and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Chapter 5:
Specialized Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Physical Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Vision Impairment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
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vi
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
Hearing Impairments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Speech Impairment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Respiratory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cardiovascular Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Paralysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Digestive and Elimination Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS
(Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Psychological Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Confusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Aggressive Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Dementias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The Depressed Resident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
The Terminally Ill Resident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 6:
Clinical Skills Performance Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Handwashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Measuring Body Temperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Oral Temperature Measurement with Electronic Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Rectal Temperature Measurement with Electronic Thermometer . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Axillary Temperature with Electronic Thermometer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Tympanic Membrane Temperature with Electronic Thermometer . . . . . . . . . . 103
Measuring the Radial and Apical Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Radial Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Apical Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Measuring the Respirations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Blood Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Partial Bedbath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Perineal Care of the Female Resident. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Nail Care (Fingers and Toes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Mouth (Oral) Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Mouth (Oral) Care: Care of Dentures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
Hearing Impairments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Speech Impairment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Respiratory Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cardiovascular Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Paralysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Digestive and Elimination Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS
(Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Psychological Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Confusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Aggressive Residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Dementias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The Depressed Resident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
The Terminally Ill Resident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Exam Prep Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Answer Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 6:
Clinical Skills Performance Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Handwashing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Measuring Body Temperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Oral Temperature Measurement with Electronic Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Rectal Temperature Measurement with Electronic Thermometer . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Axillary Temperature with Electronic Thermometer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Tympanic Membrane Temperature with Electronic Thermometer . . . . . . . . . . 103
Measuring the Radial and Apical Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Radial Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Apical Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Measuring the Respirations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Blood Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Partial Bedbath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Perineal Care of the Female Resident. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Nail Care (Fingers and Toes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Mouth (Oral) Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Mouth (Oral) Care: Care of Dentures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
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vii
Applying Elastic Support Hose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Making an Occupied Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Moving the Resident to the Side of the Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Supine Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Fowler’s Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Lateral (Side-Lying) Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Sim’s Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Prone Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Orthopneic Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Logrolling the Resident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Assisting the Resident to Sit on the Side of the Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Assisting the Resident to Transfer from the Bed to a Chair or Wheelchair . . . . . . . . 119
Transferring the Resident from a Bed with a Mechanical Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Moving the Resident from a Bed to a Stretcher (Gurney) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using a Gait-Transfer Belt to Assist the Resident to Ambulate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Passive Range of Motion Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Monitoring Resident in Restraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Feeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Offering the Bedpan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Performing Ostomy Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Administering a Cleansing Enema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Recording Intake and Output (I & O) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Measuring and Recording Output from a Urinary Drainage Bag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Indwelling Catheter Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Applying a Condom Catheter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Collecting Specimens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Routine Urine Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Clean Catch Urine Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Urine Specimen from an Indwelling Catheter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Stool Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Isolation Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Choking Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Putting on Disposable Gown, Gloves, Goggles, and Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Removing Disposable Gown, Gloves, Goggles, and Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Assisting with Post-Mortem Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
vii
Applying Elastic Support Hose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Making an Occupied Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Moving the Resident to the Side of the Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Supine Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Fowler’s Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Lateral (Side-Lying) Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Sim’s Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Prone Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Orthopneic Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Logrolling the Resident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Assisting the Resident to Sit on the Side of the Bed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Assisting the Resident to Transfer from the Bed to a Chair or Wheelchair . . . . . . . . 119
Transferring the Resident from a Bed with a Mechanical Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Moving the Resident from a Bed to a Stretcher (Gurney) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using a Gait-Transfer Belt to Assist the Resident to Ambulate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Passive Range of Motion Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Monitoring Resident in Restraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Feeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Offering the Bedpan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Performing Ostomy Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Administering a Cleansing Enema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Recording Intake and Output (I & O) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Measuring and Recording Output from a Urinary Drainage Bag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Indwelling Catheter Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Applying a Condom Catheter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Collecting Specimens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Routine Urine Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Clean Catch Urine Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Urine Specimen from an Indwelling Catheter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Stool Specimen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Isolation Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Choking Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Putting on Disposable Gown, Gloves, Goggles, and Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Removing Disposable Gown, Gloves, Goggles, and Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Assisting with Post-Mortem Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
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CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
Practice Exam I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Answers to Practice Exam I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Answers at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Rationales for Answers to Practice Exam I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Practice Exam II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Answers to Practice Exam II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Answers at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Rationales for Answers to Practice Exam II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Practice Exam III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Answers to Practice Exam III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Answers at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Rationales for Answers to Practice Exam III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Appendix A:
Nursing Assistant Test Cross-Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 9
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
Practice Exam I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Answers to Practice Exam I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Answers at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Rationales for Answers to Practice Exam I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Practice Exam II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Answers to Practice Exam II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Answers at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Rationales for Answers to Practice Exam II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Practice Exam III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Exam Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Answers to Practice Exam III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Answers at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Rationales for Answers to Practice Exam III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Appendix A:
Nursing Assistant Test Cross-Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 9
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About the Authors
Marty Walker has practiced nursing for the past 39 years at the vocational nursing level as
a registered nurse, and at the master’s level. Marty began her nursing career as a licensed
practical nurse, receiving her vocational education certificate from Atlantic Vocational School
in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1979. In 1982, she earned the associate degree in nursing
from Broward Community College in Davie, Florida. She worked for more than 10 years as a
staff nurse in telemetry, critical care, and emergency nursing before completing a bachelor of
science degree in nursing from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. In 1995,
she began teaching medical-surgical nursing at Ivy Tech State College in Sellersburg, Indiana.
After relocating to Miami, Marty accepted a position as Nurse Clinical Educator for three
cardiac units at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She attained a Master’s in Nursing Science in
Nursing Education from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, in 2003. Marty’s love of
teaching led her to Mercy Hospital’s School of Practical Nursing, along with adjunct teaching
positions at Florida International University and Barry University. In Miami, Marty added
pediatrics to her teaching expertise. She taught medical-surgical nursing for a short time at
Pensacola State College in Pensacola, Florida, before accepting a full-time associate profes-
sor position at Northwest Florida State College, where she taught in the RN-BSN program
as well as the associate degree nursing program. She is now the director for both programs.
Marty’s expertise also includes test construction. She has led the faculty at NWF State College
in improving the success rates of students enrolled in the program as well as their success
on the NCLEX-RN. Marty’s versatility extends to her clinical practice as she completed the
family nurse practitioner certificate program at the University of South Alabama in Mobile,
Alabama, where she also completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2014. Marty has
volunteered as the director of nursing services, as a nurse practitioner, and as board president
for the Crossroads Medical Center Clinic in Valparaiso, Florida, since 2007.
Linda Whitenton began a 45-year nursing career in 1967 as a nursing assistant in Paducah,
Kentucky. Following her graduation from Murray State University’s BSN program in 1970,
she practiced in mental health, pediatrics, and medical-surgical nursing. Teaching nursing
assistants, emergency medical technicians, and unit secretaries in a Mississippi hospital
cemented her love for teaching in her role as a hospital in-service education director in the
early 1970s. She accepted her first teaching position at Northeast Mississippi Community
College in 1975. While at NEMC, she taught fundamentals, medical-surgical nursing,
management, and psychiatric nursing and served as assistant director and director of the
program for seven years. In 1977, Linda earned her master’s of science degree in nursing
at the Mississippi University for Women, which also afforded her the family nurse clinician
credential. In 1987, she relocated to Florida and accepted a position as associate director of
nursing for the associate degree nursing program at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg.
Marty Walker has practiced nursing for the past 39 years at the vocational nursing level as
a registered nurse, and at the master’s level. Marty began her nursing career as a licensed
practical nurse, receiving her vocational education certificate from Atlantic Vocational School
in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1979. In 1982, she earned the associate degree in nursing
from Broward Community College in Davie, Florida. She worked for more than 10 years as a
staff nurse in telemetry, critical care, and emergency nursing before completing a bachelor of
science degree in nursing from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. In 1995,
she began teaching medical-surgical nursing at Ivy Tech State College in Sellersburg, Indiana.
After relocating to Miami, Marty accepted a position as Nurse Clinical Educator for three
cardiac units at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She attained a Master’s in Nursing Science in
Nursing Education from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, in 2003. Marty’s love of
teaching led her to Mercy Hospital’s School of Practical Nursing, along with adjunct teaching
positions at Florida International University and Barry University. In Miami, Marty added
pediatrics to her teaching expertise. She taught medical-surgical nursing for a short time at
Pensacola State College in Pensacola, Florida, before accepting a full-time associate profes-
sor position at Northwest Florida State College, where she taught in the RN-BSN program
as well as the associate degree nursing program. She is now the director for both programs.
Marty’s expertise also includes test construction. She has led the faculty at NWF State College
in improving the success rates of students enrolled in the program as well as their success
on the NCLEX-RN. Marty’s versatility extends to her clinical practice as she completed the
family nurse practitioner certificate program at the University of South Alabama in Mobile,
Alabama, where she also completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2014. Marty has
volunteered as the director of nursing services, as a nurse practitioner, and as board president
for the Crossroads Medical Center Clinic in Valparaiso, Florida, since 2007.
Linda Whitenton began a 45-year nursing career in 1967 as a nursing assistant in Paducah,
Kentucky. Following her graduation from Murray State University’s BSN program in 1970,
she practiced in mental health, pediatrics, and medical-surgical nursing. Teaching nursing
assistants, emergency medical technicians, and unit secretaries in a Mississippi hospital
cemented her love for teaching in her role as a hospital in-service education director in the
early 1970s. She accepted her first teaching position at Northeast Mississippi Community
College in 1975. While at NEMC, she taught fundamentals, medical-surgical nursing,
management, and psychiatric nursing and served as assistant director and director of the
program for seven years. In 1977, Linda earned her master’s of science degree in nursing
at the Mississippi University for Women, which also afforded her the family nurse clinician
credential. In 1987, she relocated to Florida and accepted a position as associate director of
nursing for the associate degree nursing program at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg.
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CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
While at SPC, she designed curriculum for more than 1,000 employees of the Pinellas County
EMS, taught LPN transitional students at night, and practiced part time at the Bayfront
Medical Center Trauma Center.
During her 35 years of teaching, Linda continued to practice in emergency nursing,
urological nursing, and as a nurse clinician. Linda also earned 30 hours of post-masters work
in anthropology and educational psychology. In 2004, she returned to clinical practice as
the director of nursing/vice president for a Mississippi community hospital. While there,
she received a national award for outstanding nursing leadership. She returned to Florida in
2000 to design and direct a new AD nursing program for Northwest Florida State College,
formerly Okaloosa-Walton College, the first of seven health programs now in place at the
college. Linda served as associate dean of Health Technology for three years, adding admin-
istrative oversight for the health programs she launched during her eight-year tenure at
NWFSC. In 2008, she retired from the college, receiving the honor of Emeritus Associate
Dean and Director of Nursing. In 2015, Linda accepted an interim position as campus dean
at Pensacola State College, where she now serves as director of Nursing and Emergency
Medical Services, overseeing the nursing programs, the emergency medical service programs,
the surgical technology, and the newly designed patient care technician program. Linda
has worked with Rinehart and Associates Nursing Review, a nurse-owned company that
offers review courses for graduates preparing for their examination to become licensed RNs
or LPNs. Linda is a Certified Nurse Educator, CNE, and a member of Sigma Theta Tau
International Nursing Society.
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
While at SPC, she designed curriculum for more than 1,000 employees of the Pinellas County
EMS, taught LPN transitional students at night, and practiced part time at the Bayfront
Medical Center Trauma Center.
During her 35 years of teaching, Linda continued to practice in emergency nursing,
urological nursing, and as a nurse clinician. Linda also earned 30 hours of post-masters work
in anthropology and educational psychology. In 2004, she returned to clinical practice as
the director of nursing/vice president for a Mississippi community hospital. While there,
she received a national award for outstanding nursing leadership. She returned to Florida in
2000 to design and direct a new AD nursing program for Northwest Florida State College,
formerly Okaloosa-Walton College, the first of seven health programs now in place at the
college. Linda served as associate dean of Health Technology for three years, adding admin-
istrative oversight for the health programs she launched during her eight-year tenure at
NWFSC. In 2008, she retired from the college, receiving the honor of Emeritus Associate
Dean and Director of Nursing. In 2015, Linda accepted an interim position as campus dean
at Pensacola State College, where she now serves as director of Nursing and Emergency
Medical Services, overseeing the nursing programs, the emergency medical service programs,
the surgical technology, and the newly designed patient care technician program. Linda
has worked with Rinehart and Associates Nursing Review, a nurse-owned company that
offers review courses for graduates preparing for their examination to become licensed RNs
or LPNs. Linda is a Certified Nurse Educator, CNE, and a member of Sigma Theta Tau
International Nursing Society.
Loading page 12...
About the Technical Editor
Steven M. Picray is a medical surgical registered nurse in a major metropolitan hospital. He has
also been a Baptist pastor and a computer programmer. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s
degrees in theology, a B.S.N., and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in nursing to
become a nurse practitioner.
Steven M. Picray is a medical surgical registered nurse in a major metropolitan hospital. He has
also been a Baptist pastor and a computer programmer. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s
degrees in theology, a B.S.N., and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in nursing to
become a nurse practitioner.
Loading page 13...
Dedication
We dedicate this book to the compassionate and caring nursing
assistants everywhere, who dedicate their lives
to caring for our precious elders.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Kathy McNair for her superlative technical assistance, her encouragement,
caring, and expertise in all she does for nursing education.
A special thanks goes to Mrs. Jeanece C. Ridge, former instructor, Nursing Assistant Program
and current instructor, Practical Nursing Program at Okaloosa Technical College in Fort
Walton Beach, Florida, for her thorough review of our first edition.
We also thank our families for their love and patience.
We dedicate this book to the compassionate and caring nursing
assistants everywhere, who dedicate their lives
to caring for our precious elders.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Kathy McNair for her superlative technical assistance, her encouragement,
caring, and expertise in all she does for nursing education.
A special thanks goes to Mrs. Jeanece C. Ridge, former instructor, Nursing Assistant Program
and current instructor, Practical Nursing Program at Okaloosa Technical College in Fort
Walton Beach, Florida, for her thorough review of our first edition.
We also thank our families for their love and patience.
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xiii
Contact the Nursing Board in Your Area
Because nursing standards sometimes vary by state due to differing legal concerns at the
state level, you should check the Nurse Aid Registries at National Council of State Boards of
Nursing website for your area at https://www.ncsbn.org/725.htm.
Companion Website
Register this book to get access to the Pearson Test Prep practice test software and other study
materials plus additional bonus content. Check this site regularly for new and updated post-
ings written by the author that provide further insight into the more troublesome topics on
the exam. Be sure to check the box that you would like to hear from us to receive updates and
exclusive discounts on future editions of this product or related products.
To access this companion website, follow these steps:
1. Go to www.pearsonITcertification.com/register and log in or create a new account.
2. Enter the ISBN: 9780789758866.
3. Answer the challenge question as proof of purchase.
4. Click the Access Bonus Content link in the Registered Products section of your
account page to be taken to the page where your downloadable content is available.
Please note that many of our companion content files can be very large, especially image and
video files.
If you are unable to locate the files for this title by following the preceding steps, visit
www.pearsonITcertification.com/contact and select the “Site Problems/ Comments” option.
Our customer service representatives will assist you.
Pearson Test Prep Practice Test Software
As noted previously, this book comes complete with the Pearson Test Prep practice test soft-
ware containing three full exams. These practice tests are available to you either online or as
an offline Windows application. To access the practice exams that were developed with this
book, please see the instructions in the card inserted in the sleeve in the back of the book. This
card includes a unique access code that enables you to activate your exams in the Pearson Test
Prep software.
Contact the Nursing Board in Your Area
Because nursing standards sometimes vary by state due to differing legal concerns at the
state level, you should check the Nurse Aid Registries at National Council of State Boards of
Nursing website for your area at https://www.ncsbn.org/725.htm.
Companion Website
Register this book to get access to the Pearson Test Prep practice test software and other study
materials plus additional bonus content. Check this site regularly for new and updated post-
ings written by the author that provide further insight into the more troublesome topics on
the exam. Be sure to check the box that you would like to hear from us to receive updates and
exclusive discounts on future editions of this product or related products.
To access this companion website, follow these steps:
1. Go to www.pearsonITcertification.com/register and log in or create a new account.
2. Enter the ISBN: 9780789758866.
3. Answer the challenge question as proof of purchase.
4. Click the Access Bonus Content link in the Registered Products section of your
account page to be taken to the page where your downloadable content is available.
Please note that many of our companion content files can be very large, especially image and
video files.
If you are unable to locate the files for this title by following the preceding steps, visit
www.pearsonITcertification.com/contact and select the “Site Problems/ Comments” option.
Our customer service representatives will assist you.
Pearson Test Prep Practice Test Software
As noted previously, this book comes complete with the Pearson Test Prep practice test soft-
ware containing three full exams. These practice tests are available to you either online or as
an offline Windows application. To access the practice exams that were developed with this
book, please see the instructions in the card inserted in the sleeve in the back of the book. This
card includes a unique access code that enables you to activate your exams in the Pearson Test
Prep software.
Loading page 15...
xiv
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
Accessing the Pearson Test Prep Software Online
The online version of this software can be used on any device with a browser and connectiv-
ity to the Internet, including desktop machines, tablets, and smartphones. To start using your
practice exams online, follow these steps:
1. Go to http://www.PearsonTestPrep.com.
2. Select Pearson IT Certification as your product group.
3. Enter your email/password for your account. If you don’t have an account on
PearsonITCertification.com or CiscoPress.com, you will need to establish one by
going to PearsonITCertification.com/join.
4. In the My Products tab, click the Activate New Product button.
5. Enter the access code printed on the insert card in the back of your book to activate
your product.
6. The product will now be listed in your My Products page. Click the Exams button to
launch the exam settings screen and start your exam.
Accessing the Pearson Test Prep Software Offline
If you want to study offline, you can download and install the Windows version of the Pearson
Test Prep software. There is a download link for this software on the book’s companion web-
site, or you can enter this link in your browser:
http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/content/downloads/pcpt/engine.zip
To access the book’s companion website and the software, follow these steps:
1. Register your book by going to: PearsonITCertification.com/register and entering the
ISBN: 9780789758866.
2. Respond to the challenge questions.
3. Go to your account page and select the Registered Products tab.
4. Click the Access Bonus Content link under the product listing.
5. Click the Install Pearson Test Prep Desktop Version link under the Practice Exams
section of the page to download the software.
6. After the software finishes downloading, unzip all the files on your computer.
7. Double-click the application file to start the installation, and follow the onscreen
instructions to complete the registration.
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
Accessing the Pearson Test Prep Software Online
The online version of this software can be used on any device with a browser and connectiv-
ity to the Internet, including desktop machines, tablets, and smartphones. To start using your
practice exams online, follow these steps:
1. Go to http://www.PearsonTestPrep.com.
2. Select Pearson IT Certification as your product group.
3. Enter your email/password for your account. If you don’t have an account on
PearsonITCertification.com or CiscoPress.com, you will need to establish one by
going to PearsonITCertification.com/join.
4. In the My Products tab, click the Activate New Product button.
5. Enter the access code printed on the insert card in the back of your book to activate
your product.
6. The product will now be listed in your My Products page. Click the Exams button to
launch the exam settings screen and start your exam.
Accessing the Pearson Test Prep Software Offline
If you want to study offline, you can download and install the Windows version of the Pearson
Test Prep software. There is a download link for this software on the book’s companion web-
site, or you can enter this link in your browser:
http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/content/downloads/pcpt/engine.zip
To access the book’s companion website and the software, follow these steps:
1. Register your book by going to: PearsonITCertification.com/register and entering the
ISBN: 9780789758866.
2. Respond to the challenge questions.
3. Go to your account page and select the Registered Products tab.
4. Click the Access Bonus Content link under the product listing.
5. Click the Install Pearson Test Prep Desktop Version link under the Practice Exams
section of the page to download the software.
6. After the software finishes downloading, unzip all the files on your computer.
7. Double-click the application file to start the installation, and follow the onscreen
instructions to complete the registration.
Loading page 16...
xv
8. After the installation is complete, launch the application and select Activate Exam
button on the My Products tab.
9. Click the Activate a Product button in the Activate Product Wizard.
10. Enter the unique access code found on the card in the sleeve in the back of your book,
and click the Activate button.
11. Click Next and then the Finish button to download the exam data to your application.
12. You can now start using the practice exams by selecting the product and clicking the
Open Exam button to open the exam settings screen.
Note that the offline and online versions will synch together, so saved exams and grade results
recorded on one version will be available to you on the other as well.
Customizing Your Exams
When you are in the exam settings screen, you can choose to take exams in one of three modes:
▶ Study Mode
▶ Practice Exam Mode
▶ Flash Card Mode
Study Mode enables you to fully customize your exams and review answers as you are taking
the exam. This is typically the mode you would use first to assess your knowledge and identify
information gaps. Practice Exam Mode locks certain customization options because it is pre-
senting a realistic exam experience. Use this mode when you are preparing to test your exam
readiness. Flash Card Mode strips out the answers and presents you with only the question
stem. This mode is great for late stage preparation when you want to challenge yourself to
provide answers without the benefit of seeing multiple choice options. This mode will not
provide the detailed score reports that the other two modes will, so it should not be used if
you are trying to identify knowledge gaps.
In addition to these three modes, you will be able to select the source of your questions. You
can choose to take exams that cover all the chapters, or you can narrow your selection to a
single chapter or the chapters that make up specific parts in the book. All chapters are selected
by default. If you want to narrow your focus to individual chapters, deselect all the chapters,
and then select only those on which you wish to focus in the Objectives area.
You can also select the exam banks on which to focus. Each exam bank comes complete with a
full exam of questions that cover topics in every chapter. The three exams printed in the book
are also available online. You can have the test engine serve up exams from all three banks or
just from one individual bank by selecting the desired banks in the exam bank area.
8. After the installation is complete, launch the application and select Activate Exam
button on the My Products tab.
9. Click the Activate a Product button in the Activate Product Wizard.
10. Enter the unique access code found on the card in the sleeve in the back of your book,
and click the Activate button.
11. Click Next and then the Finish button to download the exam data to your application.
12. You can now start using the practice exams by selecting the product and clicking the
Open Exam button to open the exam settings screen.
Note that the offline and online versions will synch together, so saved exams and grade results
recorded on one version will be available to you on the other as well.
Customizing Your Exams
When you are in the exam settings screen, you can choose to take exams in one of three modes:
▶ Study Mode
▶ Practice Exam Mode
▶ Flash Card Mode
Study Mode enables you to fully customize your exams and review answers as you are taking
the exam. This is typically the mode you would use first to assess your knowledge and identify
information gaps. Practice Exam Mode locks certain customization options because it is pre-
senting a realistic exam experience. Use this mode when you are preparing to test your exam
readiness. Flash Card Mode strips out the answers and presents you with only the question
stem. This mode is great for late stage preparation when you want to challenge yourself to
provide answers without the benefit of seeing multiple choice options. This mode will not
provide the detailed score reports that the other two modes will, so it should not be used if
you are trying to identify knowledge gaps.
In addition to these three modes, you will be able to select the source of your questions. You
can choose to take exams that cover all the chapters, or you can narrow your selection to a
single chapter or the chapters that make up specific parts in the book. All chapters are selected
by default. If you want to narrow your focus to individual chapters, deselect all the chapters,
and then select only those on which you wish to focus in the Objectives area.
You can also select the exam banks on which to focus. Each exam bank comes complete with a
full exam of questions that cover topics in every chapter. The three exams printed in the book
are also available online. You can have the test engine serve up exams from all three banks or
just from one individual bank by selecting the desired banks in the exam bank area.
Loading page 17...
xvi
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
You can make several other customizations to your exam from the exam settings screen, such
as the time of the exam, the number of questions served up, whether to randomize questions
and answers, whether to show the number of correct answers for multiple answer questions,
or whether to serve up only specific types of questions. You can also create custom test banks
by selecting only questions that you have marked or questions on which you have added notes.
Updating Your Exams
If you are using the online version of the Pearson Test Prep software, you should always have
access to the latest version of the software as well as the exam data. If you are using the Windows
desktop version, every time you launch the software, it will check to see if there are any updates
to your exam data and automatically download any changes that were made since the last time
you used the software. This requires that you are connected to the Internet at the time you
launch the software.
Sometimes, due to many factors, the exam data may not fully download when you activate
your exam. If you find that figures or exhibits are missing, you may need to manually update
your exams.
To update a particular exam you have already activated and downloaded, select the Tools tab
and select the Update Products button. Again, this is an issue only with the desktop Windows
application.
If you want to check for updates to the Pearson Test Prep exam engine software, Windows
desktop version, simply select the Tools tab and select the Update Application button. This
will ensure you are running the latest version of the software engine.
CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram
You can make several other customizations to your exam from the exam settings screen, such
as the time of the exam, the number of questions served up, whether to randomize questions
and answers, whether to show the number of correct answers for multiple answer questions,
or whether to serve up only specific types of questions. You can also create custom test banks
by selecting only questions that you have marked or questions on which you have added notes.
Updating Your Exams
If you are using the online version of the Pearson Test Prep software, you should always have
access to the latest version of the software as well as the exam data. If you are using the Windows
desktop version, every time you launch the software, it will check to see if there are any updates
to your exam data and automatically download any changes that were made since the last time
you used the software. This requires that you are connected to the Internet at the time you
launch the software.
Sometimes, due to many factors, the exam data may not fully download when you activate
your exam. If you find that figures or exhibits are missing, you may need to manually update
your exams.
To update a particular exam you have already activated and downloaded, select the Tools tab
and select the Update Products button. Again, this is an issue only with the desktop Windows
application.
If you want to check for updates to the Pearson Test Prep exam engine software, Windows
desktop version, simply select the Tools tab and select the Update Application button. This
will ensure you are running the latest version of the software engine.
Loading page 18...
xvii
We Want to Hear from You!
As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator. We value your
opinion and want to know what we’re doing right, what we could do better, what areas you’d
like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass our way.
We welcome your comments. You can email or write to let us know what you did or didn’t like
about this book—as well as what we can do to make our books better.
Please note that we cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book.
When you write, please be sure to include this book’s title and author as well as your name and
email address. We will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and
editors who worked on the book.
Email: feedback@pearsonitcertification.com
Mail: Pearson IT Certification
ATTN: Reader Feedback
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA
Reader Services
Register your copy of CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram at
www.pearsonitcertification.com for convenient access to downloads, updates, and corrections
as they become available. To start the registration process, go to www.pearsonitcertification.
com/register and log in or create an account*. Enter the product ISBN 9780789758866
and click Submit. When the process is complete, you will find any available bonus content
under Registered Products.
*Be sure to check the box that you would like to hear from us to receive exclusive discounts on
future editions of this product.
We Want to Hear from You!
As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator. We value your
opinion and want to know what we’re doing right, what we could do better, what areas you’d
like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass our way.
We welcome your comments. You can email or write to let us know what you did or didn’t like
about this book—as well as what we can do to make our books better.
Please note that we cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book.
When you write, please be sure to include this book’s title and author as well as your name and
email address. We will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and
editors who worked on the book.
Email: feedback@pearsonitcertification.com
Mail: Pearson IT Certification
ATTN: Reader Feedback
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA
Reader Services
Register your copy of CNA Certified Nursing Assistant Exam Cram at
www.pearsonitcertification.com for convenient access to downloads, updates, and corrections
as they become available. To start the registration process, go to www.pearsonitcertification.
com/register and log in or create an account*. Enter the product ISBN 9780789758866
and click Submit. When the process is complete, you will find any available bonus content
under Registered Products.
*Be sure to check the box that you would like to hear from us to receive exclusive discounts on
future editions of this product.
Loading page 19...
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1C H A P T E R O N E
What You Need to Know
to Prepare for the Exam
The Certified Nursing Assistant Examination, referred to as the exam, consists of
both a written examination (the WE) and the clinical skills test (the CST).
The written (oral) examination content outline, effective 2016, also known as the
National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP), is published by the National
Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The examination content is based
on a national survey of the most important findings of the components of nurse
aide practice (Table 1.1). The content and its weight on the examination follows:
TABLE 1.1 The 2016 National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) Written
(Oral) Examination Content Outline
Content Domain Weighting of Content
Domain
Key Knowledge Focus
I. Physical Care Skills
A. Activities of Daily Living
1. Hygiene
2. Dressing and Grooming
3. Nutrition and Hydration
4. Elimination
5. Rest/Sleep/Comfort
14%
Handwashing; Risk Factors
Dehydration; Dietary
Restrictions; Feeding
Complications
Incontinence Care
Reporting Pain
B. Basic Nursing Skills
1. Infection Control
2. Safety/Emergency
3. Therapeutic and Technical
Procedures
4. Data Collection and Reporting
39%
Spread of Infection;
Airborne Precautions;
Biohazards Disposal; PPE
Call System; High Risk,
Injury; Fire
Disaster Procedure
C. Restorative Skills
1. Prevention
2. Self-care/Independence
8% BLS; Airway Obstruction
Ambulation; Safety
Safety Alarms
What You Need to Know
to Prepare for the Exam
The Certified Nursing Assistant Examination, referred to as the exam, consists of
both a written examination (the WE) and the clinical skills test (the CST).
The written (oral) examination content outline, effective 2016, also known as the
National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP), is published by the National
Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The examination content is based
on a national survey of the most important findings of the components of nurse
aide practice (Table 1.1). The content and its weight on the examination follows:
TABLE 1.1 The 2016 National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) Written
(Oral) Examination Content Outline
Content Domain Weighting of Content
Domain
Key Knowledge Focus
I. Physical Care Skills
A. Activities of Daily Living
1. Hygiene
2. Dressing and Grooming
3. Nutrition and Hydration
4. Elimination
5. Rest/Sleep/Comfort
14%
Handwashing; Risk Factors
Dehydration; Dietary
Restrictions; Feeding
Complications
Incontinence Care
Reporting Pain
B. Basic Nursing Skills
1. Infection Control
2. Safety/Emergency
3. Therapeutic and Technical
Procedures
4. Data Collection and Reporting
39%
Spread of Infection;
Airborne Precautions;
Biohazards Disposal; PPE
Call System; High Risk,
Injury; Fire
Disaster Procedure
C. Restorative Skills
1. Prevention
2. Self-care/Independence
8% BLS; Airway Obstruction
Ambulation; Safety
Safety Alarms
Loading page 21...
2
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
You must successfully pass both the WE and the CST to pass the certification examination.
Specific details on both the WE and the CST, as well as tips on preparing for each portion,
follow.
Taking the Written Examination
The written examination (WE) is a computerized exam with a time limit, usually two hours.
Test sites are regional or local, depending on the state jurisdiction. We recommend you follow
the instructions given by the testing center without exception and arrive at least 30 minutes
early or, if you’re traveling a long distance, arrive a day early to locate the testing center and
the most judicious travel route to avoid delays. Two forms of identification are required:
▶ A current, unexpired driver’s license, state-issued identification card or military ID
card, one of which is a picture ID. You must also present a current photo along with
your readable signature. You should present a name that exactly matches your name as
listed on your Admission-To-Test (ATT) letter.
▶ The second form of identification must also have your signature on it. Examples of
second forms of identification include credit cards and Social Security cards. The card
must also have your signature, signed prior to testing day. If any signs of alteration or
damage to the card are suspected, you may be denied admittance to test.
Content Domain Weighting of Content
Domain
Key Knowledge Focus
II. Psychosocial Care Skills
A. Emotional and Mental Health Needs
B. Spiritual and Cultural Needs
11%
2%
Loneliness; Isolation
Signs of Suicide Ideation
III. Role of the Nurse Aide
A. Communication
B. Client Rights
C. Legal and Ethical Behavior
D. Member of the Health Care Team
8%
7%
3%
8%
Client Plan of Care
Client Identification
HIPPA
Dignity
Privacy Confidentiality
Reporting
Workplace Activities
Total 100%
Note: A cross-reference table in Appendix A will further assist you in concentrating on content and key knowledge review.
Source: National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2016). www.ncsbn.org
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
You must successfully pass both the WE and the CST to pass the certification examination.
Specific details on both the WE and the CST, as well as tips on preparing for each portion,
follow.
Taking the Written Examination
The written examination (WE) is a computerized exam with a time limit, usually two hours.
Test sites are regional or local, depending on the state jurisdiction. We recommend you follow
the instructions given by the testing center without exception and arrive at least 30 minutes
early or, if you’re traveling a long distance, arrive a day early to locate the testing center and
the most judicious travel route to avoid delays. Two forms of identification are required:
▶ A current, unexpired driver’s license, state-issued identification card or military ID
card, one of which is a picture ID. You must also present a current photo along with
your readable signature. You should present a name that exactly matches your name as
listed on your Admission-To-Test (ATT) letter.
▶ The second form of identification must also have your signature on it. Examples of
second forms of identification include credit cards and Social Security cards. The card
must also have your signature, signed prior to testing day. If any signs of alteration or
damage to the card are suspected, you may be denied admittance to test.
Content Domain Weighting of Content
Domain
Key Knowledge Focus
II. Psychosocial Care Skills
A. Emotional and Mental Health Needs
B. Spiritual and Cultural Needs
11%
2%
Loneliness; Isolation
Signs of Suicide Ideation
III. Role of the Nurse Aide
A. Communication
B. Client Rights
C. Legal and Ethical Behavior
D. Member of the Health Care Team
8%
7%
3%
8%
Client Plan of Care
Client Identification
HIPPA
Dignity
Privacy Confidentiality
Reporting
Workplace Activities
Total 100%
Note: A cross-reference table in Appendix A will further assist you in concentrating on content and key knowledge review.
Source: National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2016). www.ncsbn.org
Loading page 22...
Taking the Written Examination
3
Dress warmly but do not bring anything to the testing area. Leave all personal items (purses,
cell phones, calculators, and so on) outside the testing areas. You will be issued testing materials
as needed. Other helpful tips for a successful testing experience are as follows:
▶ Get a good night’s sleep.
▶ Don’t work the night before the examination.
▶ Avoid alcohol or excessive caffeine before the examination.
▶ Eat a light but well-balanced meal (protein, carbohydrates, and fats plus liquids) while
studying and before the exam. You (and your brain) need energy and maximum recall
to be well prepared! Although heavy sugars give you an energy boost, avoid them
because you might experience a sudden dip in blood sugar, causing fatigue and nausea.
You might also become hungry later when you cannot eat, for example, when taking
the exam. To avoid sudden dips in blood sugar bring protein snacks, such as dry roasted
nuts or cheese crackers.
▶ Take your time with the test questions, but pace yourself to finish the examination
within the allotted time.
▶ Read each question thoroughly and completely before selecting the best answer.
▶ Don’t panic if you are not familiar with a question. Remember the Testing Now Tips
(TNTs) on your Cram Sheet.
▶ Believe in yourself; we do! You can succeed!
Passing scores for the WE vary from state to state. Expect to earn at least a 70% for a passing
score. You might have to wait two to three days for results. If needed, follow directions for
scheduling a repeat the examination.
To successfully pass the Critical Skills Test (CST), you must earn a score of at least 70% while
following each critical step with 100% accuracy. You should be given the opportunity to cor-
rect any missed checkpoints or other aspects of the skill during your performance; however,
when you have finished a particular skill and progress to the next one, you will not be able to
correct a mistake made on the previous one. If you need to repeat any portion of the CST,
you’ll receive directions from the evaluator regarding subsequent testing opportunities accord-
ing to each state’s testing guidelines.
Some helpful tips for success on the CST are as follows:
▶ Practice, practice, practice!
▶ Follow each skill/procedure exactly as you learned them in your nurse aide program;
this is not the time to improvise or take shortcuts!
3
Dress warmly but do not bring anything to the testing area. Leave all personal items (purses,
cell phones, calculators, and so on) outside the testing areas. You will be issued testing materials
as needed. Other helpful tips for a successful testing experience are as follows:
▶ Get a good night’s sleep.
▶ Don’t work the night before the examination.
▶ Avoid alcohol or excessive caffeine before the examination.
▶ Eat a light but well-balanced meal (protein, carbohydrates, and fats plus liquids) while
studying and before the exam. You (and your brain) need energy and maximum recall
to be well prepared! Although heavy sugars give you an energy boost, avoid them
because you might experience a sudden dip in blood sugar, causing fatigue and nausea.
You might also become hungry later when you cannot eat, for example, when taking
the exam. To avoid sudden dips in blood sugar bring protein snacks, such as dry roasted
nuts or cheese crackers.
▶ Take your time with the test questions, but pace yourself to finish the examination
within the allotted time.
▶ Read each question thoroughly and completely before selecting the best answer.
▶ Don’t panic if you are not familiar with a question. Remember the Testing Now Tips
(TNTs) on your Cram Sheet.
▶ Believe in yourself; we do! You can succeed!
Passing scores for the WE vary from state to state. Expect to earn at least a 70% for a passing
score. You might have to wait two to three days for results. If needed, follow directions for
scheduling a repeat the examination.
To successfully pass the Critical Skills Test (CST), you must earn a score of at least 70% while
following each critical step with 100% accuracy. You should be given the opportunity to cor-
rect any missed checkpoints or other aspects of the skill during your performance; however,
when you have finished a particular skill and progress to the next one, you will not be able to
correct a mistake made on the previous one. If you need to repeat any portion of the CST,
you’ll receive directions from the evaluator regarding subsequent testing opportunities accord-
ing to each state’s testing guidelines.
Some helpful tips for success on the CST are as follows:
▶ Practice, practice, practice!
▶ Follow each skill/procedure exactly as you learned them in your nurse aide program;
this is not the time to improvise or take shortcuts!
Loading page 23...
4
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
▶ Follow safety standards and include them in your skill performance. This includes, but
is not limited to, handwashing, handling of soiled items, and other safety precautions.
These are examples of indirect care standards that will be evaluated with each skill. For
example, prior to performing a skill, you must actually use water and wash your hands;
the evaluator will tell you after you’ve washed your hands correctly for the first time
that you can tell him or her when you would wash your hands rather than actually
washing them for each subsequent skill.
▶ Work confidently and efficiently; you must complete each procedure in a timely
manner.
▶ Remember, the skills test is designed to measure your competency; you will not be
given assistance by the evaluator except to remind you of time limitations related to the
skill performance.
▶ Imagine getting the good news: You passed! Imagery is a powerful tool to encourage
success.
Find a quiet location each day where you can concentrate and review your notes, textbooks,
CDs/DVDs, this review book, and any other helpful materials. A good plan is to review for a
minimum of two hours each day. Studying in a group is helpful.
Testing Readiness
Answering practice questions at the end of each chapter in this text is one of the best strategies
you can use to prepare for success on the WE. For the difficult questions, refer to the textbook
and study that content. Pay particular attention to the Exam Alerts as well. Through review of
missed practice test items, you might see a pattern of difficulty; for example, medical asepsis.
If so, study that chapter in your textbook or other resource. Repeat those questions after
further study to see how you progress. Keep repeating the process until you become more
confident in your knowledge. Remember, answering every question correctly is not a realistic
expectation. To successfully pass the WE, however, you must have sufficient knowledge about
a variety of subjects. Use the test outline in the Introduction to help you prioritize the time
you spend in reviewing the content. For example, if 35% of the examination covers nursing
skills, spend more time reviewing that category than, say, legal/ethical aspects of care, which
cover only 3% of the exam.
Another activity to help measure your testing readiness is to use Appendix A, “Nursing
Assistant Test Cross-Reference.” The appendix refers you to the questions in Practice
Examinations I, II, and III that match the exam category. Review your score on the questions
asked in each category to see which category requires the most study. Using the same example
of medical asepsis, review your responses to questions in the Practice Examinations deal-
ing with basic nursing skills. Pay particular attention to those questions that measure your
knowledge of medical asepsis and the rationales for the correct response. Next, thoroughly
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
▶ Follow safety standards and include them in your skill performance. This includes, but
is not limited to, handwashing, handling of soiled items, and other safety precautions.
These are examples of indirect care standards that will be evaluated with each skill. For
example, prior to performing a skill, you must actually use water and wash your hands;
the evaluator will tell you after you’ve washed your hands correctly for the first time
that you can tell him or her when you would wash your hands rather than actually
washing them for each subsequent skill.
▶ Work confidently and efficiently; you must complete each procedure in a timely
manner.
▶ Remember, the skills test is designed to measure your competency; you will not be
given assistance by the evaluator except to remind you of time limitations related to the
skill performance.
▶ Imagine getting the good news: You passed! Imagery is a powerful tool to encourage
success.
Find a quiet location each day where you can concentrate and review your notes, textbooks,
CDs/DVDs, this review book, and any other helpful materials. A good plan is to review for a
minimum of two hours each day. Studying in a group is helpful.
Testing Readiness
Answering practice questions at the end of each chapter in this text is one of the best strategies
you can use to prepare for success on the WE. For the difficult questions, refer to the textbook
and study that content. Pay particular attention to the Exam Alerts as well. Through review of
missed practice test items, you might see a pattern of difficulty; for example, medical asepsis.
If so, study that chapter in your textbook or other resource. Repeat those questions after
further study to see how you progress. Keep repeating the process until you become more
confident in your knowledge. Remember, answering every question correctly is not a realistic
expectation. To successfully pass the WE, however, you must have sufficient knowledge about
a variety of subjects. Use the test outline in the Introduction to help you prioritize the time
you spend in reviewing the content. For example, if 35% of the examination covers nursing
skills, spend more time reviewing that category than, say, legal/ethical aspects of care, which
cover only 3% of the exam.
Another activity to help measure your testing readiness is to use Appendix A, “Nursing
Assistant Test Cross-Reference.” The appendix refers you to the questions in Practice
Examinations I, II, and III that match the exam category. Review your score on the questions
asked in each category to see which category requires the most study. Using the same example
of medical asepsis, review your responses to questions in the Practice Examinations deal-
ing with basic nursing skills. Pay particular attention to those questions that measure your
knowledge of medical asepsis and the rationales for the correct response. Next, thoroughly
Loading page 24...
Taking the Written Examination
5
review Chapter 4, “Promotion of Function and Health of Residents,” and Chapter 5,
“Specialized Care.” Make flash cards of all terms in the chapters and use them to test your
recall of the correct definitions (write the key term on one side of a note card and place the
definition of the term on the back of the card). Repeat the drill until you can easily recall
the terms. Continue to use Appendix A as a reference for further review of each category in
the practice examinations to ensure that you do not omit any area in preparing for the exam.
Finally, repeat all practice examinations (total of 225 questions) until you score at least 80% of
the questions correctly. Earning a score less than 80% means you need further study.
Use the sample 30-day review plan that follows to help organize your study time and increase
your knowledge and confidence in being ready for the exam.
Four Weeks Before the Exam
Review your score on Practice Exam I. Mark those questions you missed according to the
categories listed in Appendix A. Read and make notes on the chapters that help answer those
missed questions. Make flash cards of all terms in those chapters, paying particular attention to
the terms included in the questions you missed and those for which you have more difficulty
remembering. After you read, study, and drill the flash cards, repeat the self-assessment prep
questions at the end of the chapters; repeat Practice Exam I.
Three Weeks Before the Exam
Review your score on Practice Exams II and III. Mark those questions you missed according
to the categories listed in Appendix A. Read and make notes on the chapters that help answer
those missed questions. Make flash cards of all terms in those chapters, paying particular atten-
tion to the terms included in the questions you missed and those that you have more difficulty
remembering. After you read, study, and drill the flash cards, repeat the self-assessment prep
questions at the end of the chapters. Repeat Practice Exams II and III.
Two Weeks Before the Exam
Review all basic nursing skills included in Chapters 2–5, paying particular attention to direct
and indirect care activities and their rationales. Review Chapter 6, “Clinical Skills Performance
Checklist.” Study the checkpoints for each skill until you are comfortable with them. Practice
each skill with a partner, including each checkpoint and critical step, until you feel comfortable.
One Week Before the Exam
Review your notes on each chapter, all self-assessment prep questions, and both practice
examinations again. Reduce your flash cards to those terms included in the missed questions,
and complete another drill on those terms.
Review all instructions given to you by the testing center to ensure your understanding of
where to report for the exam, what to bring (especially personal identification), and other
directions.
5
review Chapter 4, “Promotion of Function and Health of Residents,” and Chapter 5,
“Specialized Care.” Make flash cards of all terms in the chapters and use them to test your
recall of the correct definitions (write the key term on one side of a note card and place the
definition of the term on the back of the card). Repeat the drill until you can easily recall
the terms. Continue to use Appendix A as a reference for further review of each category in
the practice examinations to ensure that you do not omit any area in preparing for the exam.
Finally, repeat all practice examinations (total of 225 questions) until you score at least 80% of
the questions correctly. Earning a score less than 80% means you need further study.
Use the sample 30-day review plan that follows to help organize your study time and increase
your knowledge and confidence in being ready for the exam.
Four Weeks Before the Exam
Review your score on Practice Exam I. Mark those questions you missed according to the
categories listed in Appendix A. Read and make notes on the chapters that help answer those
missed questions. Make flash cards of all terms in those chapters, paying particular attention to
the terms included in the questions you missed and those for which you have more difficulty
remembering. After you read, study, and drill the flash cards, repeat the self-assessment prep
questions at the end of the chapters; repeat Practice Exam I.
Three Weeks Before the Exam
Review your score on Practice Exams II and III. Mark those questions you missed according
to the categories listed in Appendix A. Read and make notes on the chapters that help answer
those missed questions. Make flash cards of all terms in those chapters, paying particular atten-
tion to the terms included in the questions you missed and those that you have more difficulty
remembering. After you read, study, and drill the flash cards, repeat the self-assessment prep
questions at the end of the chapters. Repeat Practice Exams II and III.
Two Weeks Before the Exam
Review all basic nursing skills included in Chapters 2–5, paying particular attention to direct
and indirect care activities and their rationales. Review Chapter 6, “Clinical Skills Performance
Checklist.” Study the checkpoints for each skill until you are comfortable with them. Practice
each skill with a partner, including each checkpoint and critical step, until you feel comfortable.
One Week Before the Exam
Review your notes on each chapter, all self-assessment prep questions, and both practice
examinations again. Reduce your flash cards to those terms included in the missed questions,
and complete another drill on those terms.
Review all instructions given to you by the testing center to ensure your understanding of
where to report for the exam, what to bring (especially personal identification), and other
directions.
Loading page 25...
6
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
Two Days Before the Exam
Contact the testing center if you have any questions concerning directions or other concerns.
Make secure travel arrangements. If long-distance travel is necessary, plan to arrive a day early
or, if not possible, at least two hours earlier than the scheduled testing time to be sure you find
the testing center location without delay.
One Day Before the Exam
Study the Exam Cram page in this book, and take the page with you to the testing center site.
Review the test tips and other preparation discussion in this chapter. Eat a light dinner and
avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, or other drugs that might cause drowsiness or affect your think-
ing. Get at least eight hours of sleep. Follow the testing center’s directions regarding dress
or, if none available, dress comfortably in clean, tidy scrubs. Record the telephone number of
the testing center in a safe, readily accessible place in the event you might need to contact the
center on testing day. Prepare a snack to have on hand during testing. Make sure your personal
ID and other required materials are ready. Set your clock to arrive early for the examination.
Day of the Examination
Eat a hearty but well-balanced breakfast. Drive safely to the testing center and arrive early so
you can become familiar and more comfortable with the environment. Try to relax! You’re
prepared to pass!
Pay particular attention to Exam Alerts and the Cram Sheet in this book for last-minute,
just-in-time preparation. The better prepared you are, the less stressful you will feel.
Overpreparation is a good thing!
Testing Strategies
Test-taking is a skill you can learn. Based on teaching experience, those students who use test-
taking techniques are more likely to succeed on their examinations. The strategies suggested
here are in no way a substitute for thorough knowledge of the subject matter. If you study the
review materials thoroughly and practice using the suggested strategies wisely while applying
your knowledge, you can successfully pass the exam. Remember the mantra: Practice, Practice,
and Practice!
Answering the Questions
The following terms help describe the key parts of a test question, commonly called test items:
▶ Test item: The question and the answer options (all possible answer choices).
▶ Options: All possible answers to a particular question.
▶ Stem: The part of the test item that asks a question or states a problem.
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
Two Days Before the Exam
Contact the testing center if you have any questions concerning directions or other concerns.
Make secure travel arrangements. If long-distance travel is necessary, plan to arrive a day early
or, if not possible, at least two hours earlier than the scheduled testing time to be sure you find
the testing center location without delay.
One Day Before the Exam
Study the Exam Cram page in this book, and take the page with you to the testing center site.
Review the test tips and other preparation discussion in this chapter. Eat a light dinner and
avoid alcohol, sleeping pills, or other drugs that might cause drowsiness or affect your think-
ing. Get at least eight hours of sleep. Follow the testing center’s directions regarding dress
or, if none available, dress comfortably in clean, tidy scrubs. Record the telephone number of
the testing center in a safe, readily accessible place in the event you might need to contact the
center on testing day. Prepare a snack to have on hand during testing. Make sure your personal
ID and other required materials are ready. Set your clock to arrive early for the examination.
Day of the Examination
Eat a hearty but well-balanced breakfast. Drive safely to the testing center and arrive early so
you can become familiar and more comfortable with the environment. Try to relax! You’re
prepared to pass!
Pay particular attention to Exam Alerts and the Cram Sheet in this book for last-minute,
just-in-time preparation. The better prepared you are, the less stressful you will feel.
Overpreparation is a good thing!
Testing Strategies
Test-taking is a skill you can learn. Based on teaching experience, those students who use test-
taking techniques are more likely to succeed on their examinations. The strategies suggested
here are in no way a substitute for thorough knowledge of the subject matter. If you study the
review materials thoroughly and practice using the suggested strategies wisely while applying
your knowledge, you can successfully pass the exam. Remember the mantra: Practice, Practice,
and Practice!
Answering the Questions
The following terms help describe the key parts of a test question, commonly called test items:
▶ Test item: The question and the answer options (all possible answer choices).
▶ Options: All possible answers to a particular question.
▶ Stem: The part of the test item that asks a question or states a problem.
Loading page 26...
Taking the Written Examination
7
▶ Multiple-choice test item: A question offering four options. Test items are designed
to measure your knowledge, attitude, or ability, not to trick you. With the multiple-
choice test item, it is possible that you might not like the question or any options in the
item. However, you must choose the best option available and answer the question in
the best way you can.
Follow these strategies (Testing Now Tips [TNTs]) for success in answering test questions.
▶ Take your time: A common problem observed in test-takers is failing to read each
question carefully. You might already be thinking of the right answer (option) before
you finish reading the question in its entirety. Slow down and force yourself to fin-
ish reading the question before you select the option; you might be surprised that the
end of the stem contains the most important information needed to select the correct
option you would have otherwise missed by hurrying to record your answer. In other
words, take your time!
▶ In your own words: Rethinking the question and answers in your own mind helps you
translate the intent of the question, or what the question is asking and how you would
answer it in words that mean the most to you. After you’ve done so, look for the option
that is closest to the one you thought about; ask yourself whether that option is the
best one available of the four provided. If so, go for it!
▶ Stay under the umbrella: Two or more options might be similar and, in your opinion,
part of the answer; however, you can choose only one option. If this occurs, look for
an option that contains a broader choice, an umbrella term, which includes those simi-
lar options and best answers to the question. For example, if the question asks you to
measure the resident’s physical status, you would not select option A (temperature) nor
option B (pulse), nor option C (blood pressure), but option D (vital signs) that includes
the other options.
▶ Key into key terms: Very few absolutes occur in patient care, especially when select-
ing the best test option. These answers are seldom, if ever correct. For that reason,
look for key words in the options such as always, never, all, only, most, none, every, and
except. If part of the option, choose another one!
▶ Opposites attract: Look for opposite options; usually, one of them is correct.
Example:
Question: When washing the perineum of the female resident, in which direction
should the washcloth be applied?
A. From the front to the back of the perineum
B. From the middle of the perineum to the top of the perineum
C. From any direction as long as the washcloth is wet and warm
D. From the back of the perineum to the front
7
▶ Multiple-choice test item: A question offering four options. Test items are designed
to measure your knowledge, attitude, or ability, not to trick you. With the multiple-
choice test item, it is possible that you might not like the question or any options in the
item. However, you must choose the best option available and answer the question in
the best way you can.
Follow these strategies (Testing Now Tips [TNTs]) for success in answering test questions.
▶ Take your time: A common problem observed in test-takers is failing to read each
question carefully. You might already be thinking of the right answer (option) before
you finish reading the question in its entirety. Slow down and force yourself to fin-
ish reading the question before you select the option; you might be surprised that the
end of the stem contains the most important information needed to select the correct
option you would have otherwise missed by hurrying to record your answer. In other
words, take your time!
▶ In your own words: Rethinking the question and answers in your own mind helps you
translate the intent of the question, or what the question is asking and how you would
answer it in words that mean the most to you. After you’ve done so, look for the option
that is closest to the one you thought about; ask yourself whether that option is the
best one available of the four provided. If so, go for it!
▶ Stay under the umbrella: Two or more options might be similar and, in your opinion,
part of the answer; however, you can choose only one option. If this occurs, look for
an option that contains a broader choice, an umbrella term, which includes those simi-
lar options and best answers to the question. For example, if the question asks you to
measure the resident’s physical status, you would not select option A (temperature) nor
option B (pulse), nor option C (blood pressure), but option D (vital signs) that includes
the other options.
▶ Key into key terms: Very few absolutes occur in patient care, especially when select-
ing the best test option. These answers are seldom, if ever correct. For that reason,
look for key words in the options such as always, never, all, only, most, none, every, and
except. If part of the option, choose another one!
▶ Opposites attract: Look for opposite options; usually, one of them is correct.
Example:
Question: When washing the perineum of the female resident, in which direction
should the washcloth be applied?
A. From the front to the back of the perineum
B. From the middle of the perineum to the top of the perineum
C. From any direction as long as the washcloth is wet and warm
D. From the back of the perineum to the front
Loading page 27...
8
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
Option A is the correct answer. Option D is opposite from option A; thus, one of the two
options is most likely the intended correct answer.
▶ Feelings, feelings, feelings: When answering a communication-type question or one
requiring a response, choose the option that acknowledges or deals with the resident’s
feelings.
Example:
Question: A resident is upset and crying over being admitted to the nursing home. How
should the nurse aide respond?
A. Tell the resident that this is normal and not to be upset.
B. Leave the resident alone to cry in private.
C. Change the subject to help the resident forget her current situation.
D. Sit with the resident and allow her to talk about her feelings.
Option D is the correct option because it acknowledges and focuses on the resident’s
feelings.
▶ Safety first: If a test item asks you for an immediate response or for deciding what to
do first, choose the option that protects the resident’s safety or well-being. Look for
cues in the question that describe priority actions you would take; for example, “The
first thing the nurse aide would do is”; “the most important step the nurse aide would
take is to…”; “the best action the nurse aide should take is to…”, “which of the follow-
ing is the nurse aide’s best response?”, and so on.
▶ Remember the face value: Avoid reading too much into the test item. You might be
tempted to remember a particular work-related or resident experience or situation
that was very different from the test option you encounter. Read the item at face value,
selecting the best option from the information presented.
▶ When all else fails, choose option C: You will encounter questions for which you have
no idea of the answer. If so, and all of the preceding listed strategies fail, give it your
most educated guess. No evidence exists that choosing option C is the best strategy. The
point is, you will not be penalized for guessing, only for not selecting any answer at all.
With a multiple-choice question, you have four chances to answer it correctly.
Taking the Clinical Skills Test
The Clinical Skills Test (CST) is the competency validation portion that most certified nurse-
aide candidates dread; it is nerve racking to perform skills in front of a strange skills evaluator.
A key to success on this test is, once again, to practice at least two hours each day. Review
each skill you’ve learned so that when the performance test day arrives, you can consider it
just another practice day…only for real. Practice helps build confidence; confidence decreases
test anxiety.
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
Option A is the correct answer. Option D is opposite from option A; thus, one of the two
options is most likely the intended correct answer.
▶ Feelings, feelings, feelings: When answering a communication-type question or one
requiring a response, choose the option that acknowledges or deals with the resident’s
feelings.
Example:
Question: A resident is upset and crying over being admitted to the nursing home. How
should the nurse aide respond?
A. Tell the resident that this is normal and not to be upset.
B. Leave the resident alone to cry in private.
C. Change the subject to help the resident forget her current situation.
D. Sit with the resident and allow her to talk about her feelings.
Option D is the correct option because it acknowledges and focuses on the resident’s
feelings.
▶ Safety first: If a test item asks you for an immediate response or for deciding what to
do first, choose the option that protects the resident’s safety or well-being. Look for
cues in the question that describe priority actions you would take; for example, “The
first thing the nurse aide would do is”; “the most important step the nurse aide would
take is to…”; “the best action the nurse aide should take is to…”, “which of the follow-
ing is the nurse aide’s best response?”, and so on.
▶ Remember the face value: Avoid reading too much into the test item. You might be
tempted to remember a particular work-related or resident experience or situation
that was very different from the test option you encounter. Read the item at face value,
selecting the best option from the information presented.
▶ When all else fails, choose option C: You will encounter questions for which you have
no idea of the answer. If so, and all of the preceding listed strategies fail, give it your
most educated guess. No evidence exists that choosing option C is the best strategy. The
point is, you will not be penalized for guessing, only for not selecting any answer at all.
With a multiple-choice question, you have four chances to answer it correctly.
Taking the Clinical Skills Test
The Clinical Skills Test (CST) is the competency validation portion that most certified nurse-
aide candidates dread; it is nerve racking to perform skills in front of a strange skills evaluator.
A key to success on this test is, once again, to practice at least two hours each day. Review
each skill you’ve learned so that when the performance test day arrives, you can consider it
just another practice day…only for real. Practice helps build confidence; confidence decreases
test anxiety.
Loading page 28...
Exam Prep Questions
9
Speaking of real, you might be required to bring along someone who can serve as the clinical
actor/resident on whom you will perform selected nursing skills. Your testing actor/resident
will be briefed prior to the skills examination. Each procedure will be selected by the skills
evaluator. Within a specified time limit, around 30–45 minutes, you will perform at least three
procedures selected from a pool of 25–30 skills. Each selected procedure will be evaluated
and scored according to a skills performance checklist. Although you are not expected to
perform each skill perfectly, you must not omit a critical step or key checkpoint of the skill,
often noted with an asterisk. A critical step is defined as a step within a procedure that ensures
safety of the resident (or yourself), which includes infection control. You can perform steps in
a procedure out of sequence as long as infection control or another physical safety principle is
not compromised. In most cases, the evaluator will not talk to you during the procedure. He/
she may show you where supplies are kept and assign the skill to be performed, but, after the
testing begins, the evaluator will not talk to you. The silence may be unnerving and increase
your anxiety. Consider the silence “golden,” in that it allows you to concentrate and perform
without interruption. If you need to adjust to the silence, practice with a friend who acts as the
evaluator and stress that you must have complete silence during your practice.
Another important tip regarding anxiety: BREATHE…deeply and slowly. Deep breathing will
help calm your nerves and allow you to concentrate.
Self-Assessment
Before moving on to the remaining chapters of the book, complete the self-assessment Exam
Prep Questions that follow to give you a baseline for focus in the upcoming chapters. See
how well you recall information as you answer each question. The answer key and rationales
are provided for immediate feedback. If you score 75% or better, congratulate yourself and
begin reading the chapters with a smile. If you score less than 75%, congratulate yourself for
completing the first step in your review journey with an honest appraisal of your knowledge,
the “before” in your test readiness. Now, you can use the Exam Prep Questions as a beginning;
subsequent questions at the end of each chapter and a mock written examination serve as the
“after” story of your progress in preparing for the real exam. Good luck! Let’s get started!
Exam Prep Questions
1. The nursing assistant can help prevent tooth decay by assisting residents to brush their teeth how
often?
❍ A. At least once a day
❍ B. Once in the morning and once in the evening
❍ C. In the morning and then after each meal
❍ D. Three times at least three hours apart
9
Speaking of real, you might be required to bring along someone who can serve as the clinical
actor/resident on whom you will perform selected nursing skills. Your testing actor/resident
will be briefed prior to the skills examination. Each procedure will be selected by the skills
evaluator. Within a specified time limit, around 30–45 minutes, you will perform at least three
procedures selected from a pool of 25–30 skills. Each selected procedure will be evaluated
and scored according to a skills performance checklist. Although you are not expected to
perform each skill perfectly, you must not omit a critical step or key checkpoint of the skill,
often noted with an asterisk. A critical step is defined as a step within a procedure that ensures
safety of the resident (or yourself), which includes infection control. You can perform steps in
a procedure out of sequence as long as infection control or another physical safety principle is
not compromised. In most cases, the evaluator will not talk to you during the procedure. He/
she may show you where supplies are kept and assign the skill to be performed, but, after the
testing begins, the evaluator will not talk to you. The silence may be unnerving and increase
your anxiety. Consider the silence “golden,” in that it allows you to concentrate and perform
without interruption. If you need to adjust to the silence, practice with a friend who acts as the
evaluator and stress that you must have complete silence during your practice.
Another important tip regarding anxiety: BREATHE…deeply and slowly. Deep breathing will
help calm your nerves and allow you to concentrate.
Self-Assessment
Before moving on to the remaining chapters of the book, complete the self-assessment Exam
Prep Questions that follow to give you a baseline for focus in the upcoming chapters. See
how well you recall information as you answer each question. The answer key and rationales
are provided for immediate feedback. If you score 75% or better, congratulate yourself and
begin reading the chapters with a smile. If you score less than 75%, congratulate yourself for
completing the first step in your review journey with an honest appraisal of your knowledge,
the “before” in your test readiness. Now, you can use the Exam Prep Questions as a beginning;
subsequent questions at the end of each chapter and a mock written examination serve as the
“after” story of your progress in preparing for the real exam. Good luck! Let’s get started!
Exam Prep Questions
1. The nursing assistant can help prevent tooth decay by assisting residents to brush their teeth how
often?
❍ A. At least once a day
❍ B. Once in the morning and once in the evening
❍ C. In the morning and then after each meal
❍ D. Three times at least three hours apart
Loading page 29...
10
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
2. The first step in preventing the spread of germs is which of the following?
❍ A. Covering of the resident’s mouth when sneezing
❍ B. Handwashing
❍ C. Keeping the living area clean
❍ D. Emptying the trash every day
Notice the priority given in this question, that is, the first step. First steps often mean what you do to keep
the patient safe.
TIP
3. All of the following are examples of the Patients’ Bill of Rights except the right to which of the
following?
❍ A. Privacy and dignity
❍ B. Confidentiality
❍ C. Accept or refuse treatment
❍ D. Low-cost care
4. Which of the following members of the health-care team is responsible for prescribing medical care?
❍ A. Nurse
❍ B. Physician or nurse practitioner
❍ C. Social worker
❍ D. Nurse assistant
5. When the resident requests pain medication, but the nurse appears busy, what is the appropriate
action of the nursing assistant?
❍ A. Report the request for pain medication to the nurse immediately.
❍ B. Report the request for pain medication to the nurse when he or she appears less busy.
❍ C. Tell the resident to wait for the pain medication until the pain is worse.
❍ D. Tell the resident to call the nurse herself and request the pain medication.
6. The steps used to rescue a conscious choking victim that cannot cough, speak or breathe begins
with
❍ A. back blows
❍ B. CPR
❍ C. Arm elevation
❍ D. Abdominal thrust
Chapter 1: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Exam
2. The first step in preventing the spread of germs is which of the following?
❍ A. Covering of the resident’s mouth when sneezing
❍ B. Handwashing
❍ C. Keeping the living area clean
❍ D. Emptying the trash every day
Notice the priority given in this question, that is, the first step. First steps often mean what you do to keep
the patient safe.
TIP
3. All of the following are examples of the Patients’ Bill of Rights except the right to which of the
following?
❍ A. Privacy and dignity
❍ B. Confidentiality
❍ C. Accept or refuse treatment
❍ D. Low-cost care
4. Which of the following members of the health-care team is responsible for prescribing medical care?
❍ A. Nurse
❍ B. Physician or nurse practitioner
❍ C. Social worker
❍ D. Nurse assistant
5. When the resident requests pain medication, but the nurse appears busy, what is the appropriate
action of the nursing assistant?
❍ A. Report the request for pain medication to the nurse immediately.
❍ B. Report the request for pain medication to the nurse when he or she appears less busy.
❍ C. Tell the resident to wait for the pain medication until the pain is worse.
❍ D. Tell the resident to call the nurse herself and request the pain medication.
6. The steps used to rescue a conscious choking victim that cannot cough, speak or breathe begins
with
❍ A. back blows
❍ B. CPR
❍ C. Arm elevation
❍ D. Abdominal thrust
Loading page 30...
Exam Prep Questions
11
7. An observation of warmth and redness to the resident’s elbow is reported as which of the following?
❍ A. Jaundice
❍ B. Edema
❍ C. Inflammation
❍ D. Cyanosis
8. The correct statement regarding religious beliefs of residents is which of the following?
❍ A. Residents should not be concerned about religious beliefs.
❍ B. Each resident has a right to his or her own religious beliefs.
❍ C. The staff may force residents to believe as they do.
❍ D. Staff or residents are not to discuss religious beliefs.
Resident rights always take priority in the nursing home setting.
EXAM ALERT
9. Which of the following residents has the greatest risk for falling?
❍ A. The resident who has difficulty with balance
❍ B. The hearing-impaired resident
❍ C. The resident who uses a cane to ambulate
❍ D. The resident who often has visitors
The previous question lists four residents at risk for falling; you must select the best choice.
TIP
10. Which of the following is appropriate for a nursing assistant working in a long-term care facility?
❍ A. Preparing and administering tube feedings for a resident who is on aspiration
precautions
❍ B. Changing linens of an incontinent resident
❍ C. Applying splints of a resident who has had a stroke
❍ D. Changing the intravenous tubings of a resident receiving medication
Remember your job duties and limitations in order to practice safely and legally according to the
state’s practice rules for nursing assistants.
EXAM ALERT
11
7. An observation of warmth and redness to the resident’s elbow is reported as which of the following?
❍ A. Jaundice
❍ B. Edema
❍ C. Inflammation
❍ D. Cyanosis
8. The correct statement regarding religious beliefs of residents is which of the following?
❍ A. Residents should not be concerned about religious beliefs.
❍ B. Each resident has a right to his or her own religious beliefs.
❍ C. The staff may force residents to believe as they do.
❍ D. Staff or residents are not to discuss religious beliefs.
Resident rights always take priority in the nursing home setting.
EXAM ALERT
9. Which of the following residents has the greatest risk for falling?
❍ A. The resident who has difficulty with balance
❍ B. The hearing-impaired resident
❍ C. The resident who uses a cane to ambulate
❍ D. The resident who often has visitors
The previous question lists four residents at risk for falling; you must select the best choice.
TIP
10. Which of the following is appropriate for a nursing assistant working in a long-term care facility?
❍ A. Preparing and administering tube feedings for a resident who is on aspiration
precautions
❍ B. Changing linens of an incontinent resident
❍ C. Applying splints of a resident who has had a stroke
❍ D. Changing the intravenous tubings of a resident receiving medication
Remember your job duties and limitations in order to practice safely and legally according to the
state’s practice rules for nursing assistants.
EXAM ALERT
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Certified Nursing Assistant