Basic Nursing Skills 11 Flashcards
6 cards from real CNA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Basic Nursing Skills 11 flashcards as text
Before serving a meal tray, a CNA should FIRST:
Answer: Check the patient's name band and tray card to confirm identity and diet order
Verifying patient identity against the tray card ensures the correct diet (regular, pureed, diabetic, etc.) is served to the correct patient, preventing diet-related harm.
A patient who has dysphagia should be assisted to eat in which position?
Answer: Upright at 90 degrees (sitting straight up) with the chin slightly tucked
Sitting fully upright with the chin slightly tucked uses gravity and proper airway mechanics to direct food into the esophagus and away from the airway in patients with swallowing difficulty.
A patient with poor appetite eats only 25% of their meal. The CNA should:
Answer: Encourage the patient to finish the tray, remove it when done, and document the intake percentage
Documenting actual intake percentage (even if low) and reporting poor appetite to the nurse ensures proper nutritional monitoring and possible dietary intervention.
When assisting a patient with feeding, the CNA should offer bites of food that are:
Answer: About the size of a teaspoon (small) and at a pace set by the patient
Small teaspoon-sized bites at the patient's preferred pace allow sufficient time for swallowing and reduce the risk of choking or aspiration.
A resident has an order for thickened liquids. The CNA offers them a thin glass of water. What could RESULT?
Answer: The patient may aspirate the thin liquid because their swallow reflex cannot manage it safely
Thickened liquid orders are prescribed by a speech-language pathologist to prevent aspiration; offering thin liquids violates the order and puts the patient at immediate risk for aspiration pneumonia.
Which observation during feeding should the CNA report to the nurse IMMEDIATELY?
Answer: The patient coughs repeatedly during eating and has a wet, gurgling voice
Repeated coughing and a wet, gurgling voice during eating are signs of aspiration and require immediate cessation of feeding and nursing notification.