CNA Safety and Emergency Procedures 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient's call light is not within reach. What is the FIRST action the CNA should take?
- Document that the call light was unavailable
- Place the call light within the patient's reach immediately (Correct answer)
- Ask the charge nurse to speak with the patient about proper use
- Check on the patient every two hours instead
Correct answer: Place the call light within the patient's reach immediately
The call light must always be within the patient's reach so they can summon help quickly, which is a basic patient safety requirement.
Question 2: During a fire evacuation, which patients should be moved FIRST from a smoke-filled unit?
- Patients who are ambulatory and can walk on their own
- Patients closest to the fire or in the most immediate danger (Correct answer)
- Patients with the most serious medical conditions
- Patients who have been hospitalized the longest
Correct answer: Patients closest to the fire or in the most immediate danger
RACE protocol prioritizes removing patients in immediate danger first, regardless of their mobility or medical status.
Question 3: A resident in a long-term care facility refuses to wear their non-skid footwear. What should the CNA do?
- Force the resident to wear the footwear for their own safety
- Allow the resident to go barefoot since it is their choice
- Explain the fall risk, document the refusal, and report to the nurse (Correct answer)
- Restrict the resident to their room until they comply
Correct answer: Explain the fall risk, document the refusal, and report to the nurse
CNAs must respect patient autonomy while ensuring safety concerns are communicated, documented, and escalated to the nurse for follow-up.
Question 4: What does the 'C' stand for in the RACE acronym used during a fire emergency?
- Call 911 immediately
- Contain the fire by closing doors (Correct answer)
- Clear the hallways of obstacles
- Check all patients for injuries
Correct answer: Contain the fire by closing doors
In RACE, C stands for Contain — closing doors and windows to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
Question 5: A CNA notices a wet floor near the nurses' station with no wet floor sign. What is the most appropriate immediate action?
- Report it to the charge nurse and wait for housekeeping
- Walk past it since it is not their assigned area
- Place a wet floor sign and notify housekeeping immediately (Correct answer)
- Dry the floor with paper towels and continue working
Correct answer: Place a wet floor sign and notify housekeeping immediately
Placing a warning sign immediately prevents falls while proper notification ensures the hazard is fully addressed.
Question 6: When using a fire extinguisher, the CNA should aim the nozzle at which part of the fire?
- The top of the flames
- The middle of the flames
- The base of the fire (Correct answer)
- The smoke rising from the fire
Correct answer: The base of the fire
The PASS technique (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep) directs the extinguishing agent at the base of the fire to cut off its fuel source.
Question 7: A CNA finds a resident on the floor but is unsure if a fall occurred. What should the CNA do FIRST?
- Help the resident back into bed immediately to prevent embarrassment
- Assess the resident for injuries before moving them (Correct answer)
- Call the family to report the incident
- Complete an incident report before doing anything else
Correct answer: Assess the resident for injuries before moving them
The resident must be assessed for injuries before any movement to avoid worsening a potential fracture or spinal injury.
CNA Safety and Emergency Procedures 5
A patient's call light is not within reach.
What is the FIRST action the CNA should take?