Oregon CNA skill exam questions

[rubysunshine1]

Hello,

I took my CNA course in Arizona, and now have moved to Oregon. I passed the Oregon CNA written test with a 90%, however I have not been able to pass the skill test. My third and last attempt is this upcoming weekend. I feel like I have been performing the steps from the manual, yet am not passing. Is there something they are looking for that is not in the manual? Also- any suggestions from people who have passed the Oregon CNA skill exam would be greatly appreciated.

[pdxmama]

Tough break! I found the skill test very nervewracking but passed just a few weeks ago. My advice would be to review the Oregon candidate handbook found on the headmaster website (www.hdmaster.com) because the skill steps the grader will look for are all detailed there. I didn't find the state handbook or even the stuff I had in class as helpful. Also, if you have any time left at the end of your test, use it to mentally go over all of the skills you performed and then verbally correct it and perform what you did wrong correctly for the grader. I was also told to focus on privacy, infection control and safety issues (always wearing gloves & changing at appropriate times, always pulling the privacy curtain, always putting the bed down at the end & leaving the call light, etc) because those are the most heavily weighted. Good luck! Hopefully that helps. What skill(s) are you having trouble passing?

[Joyfull77]

Pdxmama said it well! Definitely focus on Privacy and Safety. So make for EACH skill that the brakes are always locked on the bed and that you close the curtains before doing the skill, and putting the bed down and leaving the call light is key! Before I said I was done with each skill, I stopped to make sure I didn't forget anything, and of course told them if I did forget anything and that was acceptable. I also talked through my steps out loud and talked to the patient I was doing the skills on. I asked him if he was comfortable, if the water was too cold/hot for him (when I did the partial bed bad), etc. And to be honest, this helped to calm my nerves to talk to him and to talk out all of my steps. Reading all of the skills over and over to study got really old for me, so I practiced the skills on my husband and that helped a lot.

[oregonbeach]

Aw Ruby, I wish I'd have logged in before you took your test. I would ask where exactly you are testing and told you this: Everyone I've spoken to is absolutely terrified of the practical and it makes you skip steps. The folks above were right: verbalized what you're doing. Locking bed & closing the curtain are huge! Putting call light in correct spot, huge, even if just changing the linen. Also, knowing your measurements. We had a teacher who was instructing us the opposite... how much liquid was left, not how much they consumed. After a bunch of folks failed, they got back to later classes to fix that little problem.

However in my case, I really felt like the actor/model was making it difficult for me by holding her breath when I was supposed to be counting. She had complained that I hurt her while taking her pulse.. so I felt pretty doomed. When I got home, I immediately emailed the test site with my concerns. Gave positive feedback where due, but recorded where I thought there might be an unfair grading before I got the grade back. You know, so it was established prior. I did pass, and have no idea if it helped or not. I was contacted by the school and told that others had complained, so who knows?

Please let us know where you tested and how you feel it went.

[kamaboko]

Ruby,

How did you do on your test?