Failed my CNA Skills Test a second time

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I feel like the RNs who oversee the test and decide if you pass or fail it have a quota to fail people so they can get the extra fee every time. I basically did everything right. But, apparently I failed because I washed the face wrong in the bed bath. I did it the way I was taught. I made sure to wash inner to outer aspect of the face. I made sure to not put soap on the towel, I made sure to dry it. I made sure to use a new side of the towel every time. I feel that's so ridiculous it's not even funny.

By the way, I live in Washington state. We have 22 skills to memorize, and we don't have any lee-way on doing anything wrong. I also have to pay 74 dollars for another retest. I had to do 5 skills. I passed 4 and most of the one I failed. It's so frustrating that I failed again. What am I to do if I fail it a 3rd time? I have a job in the field. I had/have to pay to go to the school with my own money. I can't afford to go to school again for it [it costed me 1000 dollars or more for the school, the text book, the gas, the gait belt, etc]. It also felt like a lot of hard work going through the course. I also have paid 110 dollars + 74 +74 [third try]. The closest school is too far away. I also have almost worked at my employer for 4 months. There's no benefits of working there [no benefits, meaning health insurance, dental, 401k, whatever there's none]. Except its close enough to my house [20 mins away]. I have no lunch break [we have to feed people and clean and eat at the same time], no benefits, and only get 12 dollars an hour. I have only gotten full time hours for 2 weeks out the whole time I've been working there [since the end of June]. I suppose if I fail the next time, I'll just send in my two weeks notice. She'll just have to find someone else who actually has their CNA. Oh, not to mention the tremendous stress I'm under every time I've taken that test. I also have to ask my mom to take me to the test site, and all of them are at least an hour from here.

:[ I'm so unhappy about this. I suppose I can go work as a regular caregiver who doesn't need the CNA certification. I also can go get a job as a cook. Something that pays decent that doesn't require a certification.

I'm sorry for complaining so much, its just worrisome.

I also don't feel like I'm in the right field. I also feel like the schooling to become an RN is tedious. A lot of pre-reqs, and then clinical, and other class time. I am an artist, be it a musician, a cook, or a comic book artist. I also have a want to maybe become a teacher of high school students or a psychologist. So, why have I gotten myself into this mess?

By the way, If you're wondering why I don't have a car or license yet, it's because I don't have a car yet, and I only just graduated high school.

:down::sorry:

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What did they tell you that you should have done differently?

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Specializes in Pediatric Home Care, Dr Office/Clinic.

Yeah it doesn't make sense at all. I too think something is strange with the scoring process. I passed mine & so did the other 8 people in my class BUT 3 people in my class shouldn't have passed. I mean they all made major infection control mistakes. 1 of them ran out of time during 2 skills because he kept forgetting items & kept going in & out of the room to get items & then wasn't re washing his hands when he came back into the room! When we found out he passed, we were all shocked, it was that bad. Heck, he was even shocked he passed!

I wouldn't give up if you really like nursing. I know several people who failed their CNA exam but kept trying until they passed it & then went on to become great LVNs & RNs! What helped me was typing out the supplies & steps to do all 25 skills printing them out & then just reading them over & over until I knew the skill back & forward in my brain. It's a tedious task but it's worth it because it helps. Then, I would practice by verbally saying out loud the skills. Of course if you can physically practice the skills that you are struggling with until they click in your brain you'll be alright :-) don't give up!!! Good luck!

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They aren't allowed to tell me why I got that step wrong. SO i can't learn from my mistake.

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I'm giving it one more chance. I'm not going to be able to stay with my employer if I fail this last time.

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Specializes in Pediatric Home Care, Dr Office/Clinic.

Wow that's weird in Cali they tell us what we did wrong on a skill & what we can improve on.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiology..

Wow sorry! I got mine in Washington State in 2010! Passed it all first try. But when I moved to NC last summer I challenged the cna 1 test and failed because of hand washing!!!!!! I used one too many paper towels! I was So mad! She said "you used a paper towel to dry your hands and then you threw it away, got another paper towel and turned the sink off with it. Then threw that one away."

... I now live in Oregon because the pay for CNAs is a lot better but it took a month to endorse my license.

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Specializes in Pediatric Home Care, Dr Office/Clinic.

@blondebabe that's the procedure for handwashing though...drying with one then throwing it away, then getting another one to turn off faucet, then throwing that one away, so I don't understand how that equated to a fail???

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiology..
@blondebabe that's the procedure for handwashing though...drying with one then throwing it away, then getting another one to turn off faucet, then throwing that one away, so I don't understand how that equated to a fail???

Your guess is as good as mine! ?

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Wow sorry! I got mine in Washington State in 2010! Passed it all first try. But when I moved to NC last summer I challenged the cna 1 test and failed because of hand washing!!!!!! I used one too many paper towels! I was So mad! She said "you used a paper towel to dry your hands and then you threw it away, got another paper towel and turned the sink off with it. Then threw that one away."

... I now live in Oregon because the pay for CNAs is a lot better but it took a month to endorse my license.

I have a feeling the test from 2010 was a lot easier because I was told they have made it way harder than before.

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Wow that's weird in Cali they tell us what we did wrong on a skill & what we can improve on.

Nope they even had this orange sheet that says that we can't talk to the evaluator about the skills test, or what went wrong.

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Good luck. I'm having the same problem. This whole process has been taken over by a for-profit conglomerate called Pearson Vue. The incentive to fail is money driven and they also have incompetent people at the so called customer service center.

We who have had this trouble know this problem needs to be changed. I think it's so bad some people never go back to retest.

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