Nursing Students CNA/MA
Published Jun 17, 2007
susan in VA
5 Posts
I have a ? about the CNA state boards in VA...
I am the kind of tester that gets awesome grades on paper, then when testing for the skill I get so nervous that my mind goes blank and my hands shake...
Anyhow, I took the state Boards yesterday, and of course I got that darned BP as one of my 5 skills. I took the BP and (as the booklet instucts- I simulated hand washing) - I then went to write the BP down on the scoring sheet for the tester and my mind went blank in the 2 seconds that it took to pretend to wash my hands! :uhoh21:
So i asked the tester if I could redo the BP, and she said as long as I had time to do it in the 25 minutes. She didn't listen in the the steth. and I am terrified that I didn't record it correctly.
So my question is- in the off chance that I didn't record the BP accurately, can I still pass the exam or must one complete all 5 skills correctly to pass the exam?
TIA for your help...
pagandeva2000, LPN
7,984 Posts
I have a ? about the CNA state boards in VA...I am the kind of tester that gets awesome grades on paper, then when testing for the skill I get so nervous that my mind goes blank and my hands shake...Anyhow, I took the state Boards yesterday, and of course I got that darned BP as one of my 5 skills. I took the BP and (as the booklet instucts- I simulated hand washing) - I then went to write the BP down on the scoring sheet for the tester and my mind went blank in the 2 seconds that it took to pretend to wash my hands! :uhoh21: So i asked the tester if I could redo the BP, and she said as long as I had time to do it in the 25 minutes. She didn't listen in the the steth. and I am terrified that I didn't record it correctly. So my question is- in the off chance that I didn't record the BP accurately, can I still pass the exam or must one complete all 5 skills correctly to pass the exam?TIA for your help...
Is the exam in two parts? I remember it being that the skills portion had to be passed before being allowed to take the written portion. If that is the case, and she did allow you to take the written portion, then, I say that you are probably good to go. You'd be surprized how many people sort of get away with a few skills. She may have taken into consideration that you were nervous, and if she didn't listen for herself, it seemed that she really didn't care and was just letting students pass unless it was really a big mess-up.
Thanks for your reply.
We all took the written portion first.
I am hoping that she let it slip by, but who knows. It was late in the day, I was her last person to be tested. She was really watching all the other skills prior to and following that, I just can't understand why she didn't listen in the second time I did the BP.
Wish me luck
Well I must have measured the BP correctly on the second go around- I passed and am now certified! Woot!!
dalgo11, ADN, CNA, RN
48 Posts
Congratulations to you!:balloons:
Thanks for your reply.We all took the written portion first. I am hoping that she let it slip by, but who knows. It was late in the day, I was her last person to be tested. She was really watching all the other skills prior to and following that, I just can't understand why she didn't listen in the second time I did the BP. Wish me luck
Congrats to you! Hate to say, but my stragedy in nursing school was to always go and do my skills assessment close to, if not last, when the instructor was too tired to care what I actually did. I assume that your tester knows that taking blood pressures does take practice. I didn't actually really hear accurately until I had been working for about three months. Funny enough, as a CNA in a nursing home, I was never asked to do blood pressures. We did temps, pulse and respirations. I finally got to do it while working as a psych tech in a hospital, was pleased as punch to finally hear that lub-dub!! You will get plenty of time to practice. And, it is very helpful to the nurse to be able to trust someone that takes them. We depend on them to dispense anti-hypertensive medications. I always get the CNA that I trust most to re-check the pressure after I gave medication.
When you get more settled, consider taking a phlebotomy course. That is a great skill to master because we need people to do that, also. I did quite well with my phlebtomy skills and they used to always call me when blood had to be drawn. Congrats again, and enjoy your new career!