Skills and Competencies Flashcards

A resident with a new colostomy expresses shame about the appliance. The BEST therapeutic response by the CNA is:

Answer: Acknowledge the resident's feelings and listen without judgment

Acknowledging feelings using therapeutic communication validates the resident's emotions and builds trust without minimizing concerns.

When using a gait belt to assist a resident in ambulation, the belt should be placed:

Answer: Around the resident's waist over clothing

The gait belt is applied snugly around the waist over clothing, with enough room to slide two fingers underneath.

A resident on a fluid restriction of 1,000 mL/day has consumed 700 mL by noon. How much fluid remains for the rest of the day?

Answer: 300 mL

1,000 mL − 700 mL = 300 mL remaining for the afternoon and evening shifts.

Which observation should the CNA report IMMEDIATELY when caring for a resident with a urinary catheter?

Answer: Drainage tubing kinked under the resident's leg

A kinked catheter prevents urine drainage, can cause bladder distension and infection, and must be corrected and reported promptly.

To prevent footdrop in a bedridden resident, the CNA should:

Answer: Use a foot board or high-top sneakers to maintain dorsiflexion

Foot boards and supportive footwear keep the foot in a neutral (dorsiflexed) position, preventing plantar flexion contracture (footdrop).

A resident begins to choke on food and cannot cough, speak, or breathe. The CNA should FIRST:

Answer: Perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver)

A complete airway obstruction with inability to cough or speak requires immediate abdominal thrusts to expel the foreign body.

When documenting care in a resident's chart, the CNA should:

Answer: Use only approved abbreviations and sign each entry

Accurate documentation requires facility-approved abbreviations, legible handwriting, and a signature; pre-documentation is falsification of records.