Need some advice on CNA exam

[1uvakindmom]

Hi, my name is Missy and I am new. I took a Medical Assistant course and finished. Finded little opportunity in this area, I decided to become a CNA and found a job at a nursing home which gives you paid training to become a CNA with no obligations after wards. Anyways, I am looking for some pointers for the clinical skills part of the exam. I have always been a good written tester, so I am not that worried about the written exam. I am just nervous about the skills part of the exam. I live in MA...anyone from MA taken the CNA skills test and have some advice as to what I may happen? I am so worried I will fail, and I cannot do that, I have to keep this job and become a CNA.

Thanks!

Missy

[CNAstudentRN2B]

I'm in the same boat, I'm almost done with my training and fretting about the skills portion of the test. All I can say is look at your state's skills list and practice practice practice on everyone you know. The only way you can fail is if you don't practice. Good luck to you :)

[1uvakindmom]

Ugh, I know that nervous feeling...I have been looking for a list of skills for my state and cannot find any on the internet Good luck to you as well!

[chesara]

Ugh, I know that nervous feeling...I have been looking for a list of skills for my state and cannot find any on the internet Good luck to you as well!

I took my test in GA and didn't find MA on the listing for the company that administers ours. But I did find the below website for you (in their search box, type "Nurse Aide" and it will take you to some links). I tried to post the link directly but it didn't work. I hope you find your answers because it adds to the stress when you don't know what your skills will be. Good luck! (I see that when I go to the link it says "error" but you can still access the site)

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=mg2homepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=massgov2

[rockytopRN2b]

The best advice I could give you is just to relax. I know...easier said than done. I remember when I took my CNA exam, I told my instructor I was glad there were a couple RN's around because I was in such upset, I might need one before the day was over. lol But really, it wasn't bad. You don't have to get your skills exactly perfect. As long as you don't miss a critical step, you're probably going to be fine. Make sure you have vitals down to a science. With my class, everyone fretted the most about having to do blood pressure and respiration because you only had a few points deviation on that, and it was an automatic fail if you missed that skill. But in retrospect, it was very, very easy. If you have been working as an NA already, you are probably already good at most of what you'll be tested on. Nerves were the worst part of it for me.

Everybody in our class passed, and our instructor said she had only had two students fail out of the previous six classes. You will do just fine!

Best of luck!!

[wifey08]

You said you found a job in a nursing home, what position did they hire you for? Then they will pay for your CNA? Thanks.

[CandAmommy]

LTC facilities (some) will hire people and train them to be NAs. They have a certain amount of time, usually around 6 weeks, where they than have to take the exam to become certified. Some pay for it as long as you commit to stay to work for a certain period of time.

[cnaluv]

I think that's the one thing (of many!) that CNAs have in common and it's nerves before the skills test. The skills can seem very technical and you might think you can keep all those steps in order. But a lot of the steps are the same for each skill. My bit of advice: There are skills will have the same steps in the beginning and the end - so learn those steps first, front and back and you've taken out a big chunk of the work.