BossBadger

Thanks for your responses. I tested in Gainesville, FL at the Express training institute. Prometric did the testing. I knocked every time, waited for response, and pulled the curtain. When I drained the bag, I put an incontinence pad on the floor under the graduate, wiped the drainage tube with an alcohol pad, etc. I dumped everything in the BSC and I added soap and water to the container (without getting any in the sink) and dumped that in the BSC (using a paper towel to hold the items), dried with paper towels, then sprayed them with Lysol, used another paper towel to carry them to the bedside cabinet. The cleaning of the items is the only thing I think I may have done wrong, because I had a hard time finding information on specific procedures. I remembered that I had to either change my gloves or use a barrier and I did. I used the mitt fold for the cath care and changed spots, and I used a different cloth for washing and rinsing. My foot never touched the floor when my partner did the foot care. I wore scrubs and was showered and had my hair up and my nails were clean. I did talk to my partner afterwards, but he was only present for my ROM skill and was told to leave before I did the other two. I was there for all of his, and I couldn't see anything wrong. I can't help but wonder if the fact we were both challengers made a difference, or if the proctors are required to fail a certain number of people so that they can get more money when you have to pay to retest. Back to studying, I suppose. In the meantime I guess I am going to have to start jobhunting for something else. Thanks everyone :)..

Well, I failed the skills portion. Passed the written with flying colors and it went downhill from there. I did the ROM on the wrong side, of all things! I was sooo nervous. The guy in the room with us had to do foot care on me beforehand and that just made me more nervous! She also marked me off for handwashing and just about everything on indirect care, which I was sure that I did correctly. I made sure to keep the patient covered and ask about comfort, provide the call light, made conversation, introduced myself, explained the procedure, etc. etc..she marked that I did none of those things. Draining a catheter bag..she marked that I didn't practice infection control when I did it, but I'm not sure what I did wrong. Catheter care..she said that I did not change spots on the washcloth when cleaning, which I'm POSITIVE I did because I exaggerated it so that she would see. What's funny is that the guy who was in there with me and had to do his skills with me acting as resident also failed, and I have no idea why. She marked him down for things that I know for sure that he did, because I was there. He had to ambulate me, and she marked that he did not ask me about dizziness, which I remember clearly that he did. She also marked him off on indirect care and handwashing and I didn't see a problem with either. She said that he didn't protect my foot from the floor when he indeed placed a towel on the floor under my foot. ?? A girl who came out before us said that she was sure she had failed because she forgot to put on gloves before mouth care and the proctor had to tell her to do it (I didn't think they could do that) and she forgot to put water in the basin for the dentures. She passed. Also I'm not sure I washed and sanitized the bedpan correctly..any tips? I'm kind of depressed and not sure if I am going to try again, it's really discouraging because I practiced my butt off. I passed the Phlebotomy/EKG test last week but I can't get a job because I have no experience and I really thought getting the CNA would help. Any advice or comments appreciated.

I was afraid of that. Drat. I really dislike using someone else's steth..I have a hard time hearing the pulse with the cheapos. I hope it's a quality one at least. Or maybe I won't even get the BP skill!

The ones I used are posted on here somewhere, but I'm not sure where so here's the link: http://deptets.fvtc.edu/nursing/index.htm Some of the skills they show you, they show more steps than you would actually have to do. For example, I think they combine the nail care with the bed bath, etc. There is also a lot of extraneous stuff, but if you skim through you can find every one of the exam skills on there. Good luck!

Thanks so much! I know I have been overthinking this thing to death. I really think I have most of it down. Now it's just practice, practice, practice. Does anyone in FL know if they allow you to use your own stethoscope for the BP skill? I hate the cheap ones..my ears aren't so great.

Cubanita..In Florida at least, you can challenge the exam if you don't have professional experience as long as you have a high school diploma or GED. I'm doing my testing through Prometric. They have a website where you can register/pay for the test online and choose the location closest to you to take the test. You have three chances to pass the test (you have to wait 30 days between each attempt) and if you fail all 3 times, then you have to take an approved class before you can try again. There are lots of resources online and also home study courses/DVDs that you can order online to prepare you for the test. My guess is if she already has caregiving experience and studies what they want for the exam, she will pass. The prometric website gives you a list of the clinical skills they might test you on, as well as a practice written test. There are other practice tests online as well. Monica: That's the difficulty with challenging the exam. I've also been a caregiver for family members, but how you do things in the 'real world' and how they expect things to be done are quite different.

I've been studying like mad, watched all the videos, and I think I'm getting it. I just have a few more quick questions. 1. When rinsing the bedpan, do you just rinse it out in the sink and dry it with paper towels? It also says to remove your gloves before storing the pan...do you dry the pan, take off your gloves, and wash your hands first? Or just take the gloves off, store the pan, and then wash your hands? 2. Pericare and cath care: I'm not really sure how many washcloths to use..seems like you'd need a lot. Cath:One to soap the front, one to rinse, and one for the cath. Then for the pericare add two more for the bottom. Is that right? Just trying to get an idea of how many to grab. I don't want to take too many/too few cloths. 3. MITER CORNERS. I watched the video but the woman went so fast I still can't figure it out. I've been messing with my sheets all night. 4. Do you generally have to use a draw sheet/mattress pad during the test? It also says you need a clean gown. So, do I need to undress the patient and put them in a new gown during the occupied bed skill for the exam? When is the best time to do this? Before the linen change or at the end? Also, I am reading conflicting things about changing the top sheet. When/how do I do that? I assume you just cover the patient with a bath blanket and pull it off, then do the bottom sheet change after that. If there's no bath blanket available, do you just put the clean sheet over the dirty one? (It says that on one of the study guides but I'm not sure if that's allowable in FL or not). 5. Partial bed bath: One soapy washcloth and one rinse cloth for the whole upper body besides the back and face? I assume you are only supposed to do one side at a time to keep the patient well covered, so I'm wondering if you should wash and dry one entire side first and then start anew on the next side with new cloths. 6. Draining urine bag: In the video, it shows the CNA putting a pad on the floor, setting the grad container on it, and draining the bag that way. Is this acceptable for the test? Thanks again for helping me out, guys.

I'm taking mine in Gainesville. I watched the videos today and feel a bit better. Another question, though! When you clean the bedpan, where do you clean it? Just rinse it in the sink or what? Somehow it just doesn't seem right... Did they have the bath blanket in Ocala? Driving all over hell trying to find a BP cuff to practice with. All of the pharmacies only carry the digital now. Have to go to the medical supply store tomorrow..I got there today about 5 minutes after they closed . So..check the brachial before putting the cuff on?

Thanks for your help! One more question..what exactly is a 'bath blanket'? Is it commonly one of the available items during the test? If one isn't available, do I leave the regular blanket over the patient while removing the sheet? I'm going to my mother's tomorrow to watch some videos of the skills (I'm on dialup so I can't load them). Hopefully that'll help. Good luck, NewCna! Here's the link to the videos (I found it elsewhere on this forum so I assume it's okay to post...) http://deptets.fvtc.edu/nursing/index.htm

I am challenging the CNA exam in Florida soon, and I'm beginning to worry that I am in way over my head and won't pass the test. I am fairly confident about the written portion (though I may eat my words) but have some questions about portions of the clinical skills section..any help would be appreciated. 1.Changing an occupied bed: Do I leave the top sheet over the patient the whole time in order to keep them covered, and change only the bottom sheet first? Then remove the top sheet and replace it with a new one? Do I need to assist the resident to lay on his/her side, and how do I best do this? What's the best way to replace the pillowcase? 2.Changing resident to side-lying position: What is the best thing to use behind the patient's back..a pillow rolled in half, towel, blanket? Will there be padding or something available to put between the person's knees, ankles, and under their arm? For both 2 and 3, what is the correct way to align and turn the patient? The other problem I am having is where to put all of the stuff needed to do the skill. For example, when giving a partial bed bath/doing perineal or foot care. I know you need a basin of water, two washcloths, soap, towel, etc. Where do you set everything? Do you sit on the edge of the bed or stand when performing the bath? Where do you sit for foot care? Where do you put the soapy washcloth while you are using the rinsing cloth? I apologize for all the questions. I am trying to get in as much practice as possible before the test but I want to make sure I'm practicing correctly! As for the written exam, I didn't miss any questions on the practice exam, but I'm a bit concerned that there may be things that aren't on the practice test that aren't 'common sense' (meaning something they only teach you in a care setting or a class). Thanks so much for any help!