CNA Basic Nursing Skills 2 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When applying a cold pack to a patient's injured ankle, the CNA should remove it after how many minutes to prevent tissue damage?
- 5 minutes
- 10 minutes
- 20 minutes (Correct answer)
- 45 minutes
Correct answer: 20 minutes
Cold packs should be applied for no more than 20 minutes at a time to avoid frostbite or tissue injury.
Question 2: A patient on a mechanical soft diet has difficulty chewing. Which food choice is MOST appropriate for this patient?
- Raw carrots
- Whole grain crackers
- Scrambled eggs (Correct answer)
- Hard pretzels
Correct answer: Scrambled eggs
Scrambled eggs are soft, easy to chew, and appropriate for a mechanical soft diet.
Question 3: The CNA is performing passive range-of-motion (ROM) exercises. What is the most important action during this procedure?
- Move each joint as far as possible
- Support the joint above and below during movement (Correct answer)
- Perform all movements rapidly to save time
- Ask the patient to resist the movement
Correct answer: Support the joint above and below during movement
Supporting the joint above and below prevents strain and injury during passive ROM exercises.
Question 4: A patient's urinary output for an 8-hour shift totals 150 mL. How should the CNA respond?
- Document and report immediately, as this is below normal (Correct answer)
- Record only; this is normal output
- Encourage the patient to drink less fluid
- Catheterize the patient right away
Correct answer: Document and report immediately, as this is below normal
Normal urine output is approximately 30 mL/hour; 150 mL in 8 hours is abnormally low and must be reported.
Question 5: When collecting a clean-catch midstream urine specimen, which step is MOST critical to ensure specimen accuracy?
- Collecting the very first stream of urine
- Cleaning the urethral area before collection (Correct answer)
- Refrigerating the specimen for 24 hours first
- Using a non-sterile container
Correct answer: Cleaning the urethral area before collection
Cleaning the urethral area with antiseptic wipes prevents contamination of the specimen.
Question 6: A resident asks the CNA to leave the privacy curtain open during a bed bath because they feel claustrophobic. What should the CNA do?
- Leave the curtain fully open as requested
- Close the curtain completely regardless of the request
- Partially close the curtain to respect both privacy and preference (Correct answer)
- Transfer care to another CNA
Correct answer: Partially close the curtain to respect both privacy and preference
Partially closing the curtain balances the resident's comfort and dignity while maintaining appropriate privacy.
Question 7: Which observation about a wound dressing should the CNA report to the nurse immediately?
- Dressing is dry and intact
- Dressing was changed 8 hours ago
- Dressing has a large amount of bright red drainage (Correct answer)
- Dressing edges are slightly loose
Correct answer: Dressing has a large amount of bright red drainage
Large amounts of bright red drainage indicate active bleeding and require immediate nursing assessment.
CNA Basic Nursing Skills 2 3
When applying a cold pack to a patient's injured ankle, the CNA should remove it after how many minutes to prevent tissue damage?