Passing The Clinical Portion Of CNA Classes San Diego
Taking one of the accredited CNA Classes In San Diego will allow you to tackle the clinical skills test section of the certification exam and pass it with flying colors which will allow one to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). The clinical skills test portion of the exam is usually the most dreaded part of the certification exam which also includes written portion. Candidates usually dread this portion of the exam because they have to demonstrate a set of skills that they should have learned in a CNA training class for a state examiner who is a stranger to the candidate and will evaluate the candidate’s ability to execute certain skills properly and confidently. While this part of the exam may be nerve racking, a CNA training class should have provided the candidate with the necessary skills to excel during this and all parts of the exam.
CNA Training Clinical Skills Test
A San Diego CNA candidate will usually be required to perform at least five procedures selected from about 30 possible skills in order for the examiner to evaluate the candidate’s level of skill that is required before someone becomes a CNA. You will be required to take about half an hour to 45 minutes to demonstrate these five tasks, so timing yourself is important and properly allocating time to the various tasks is important to ensure timely completion. While taking a San Diego CNA training class will teach you the various skills and allow you to practice them during the CNA training class, you will have to practice them and time yourself on the completion of these tasks over and over again in order to become fully prepared for the clinical skills test portion. Practice makes perfect so do not neglect this portion of test preparation.
As you perform the skill for the evaluator, he or she will use a skills performance checklist to evaluate your performance. While perfection in the performance may not be required, you need to ensure that you do not omit a critical step which is defined as a step that ensures that patient safety is maintained which also includes infection control. This critical step will usually be noted with an asterisk. While you may perform the skills out of sequence, you still need to ensure that you do not miss the critical step. Since CNAs deal mainly with patients to ensure that their needs are met, in order to perform the clinical skills test, you may be required to bring someone with you who will serve as your guinea pig when you perform the skills you should have learned in a CNA training class for the evaluator.
While the required minimum score may vary from state to state, you should expect that a minimum score of 75% may be required on this section of the exam (the written portion may also require this same minimum).
The clinical skills that are most likely to be tested include but are not limited to hand washing, taking patient vitals such as temperature, blood pressure, respiration rate, pulse, etc, making an occupied bed, lifting a patient, giving a full or partial bath including a bed bath, taking care of a patient’s oral hygiene, nail care, dressing, transferring patients, indwelling catheter care, Heimlich maneuver, isolation procedures, applying restraints, etc.
How CNA Classes San Diego Will Help You Prepare
As mentioned previously, a CNA training class will help you to learn the various skills required of a CNA and how to perform them properly and safely. CNAs spend most of their time taking care of the basic needs of patients or residents if working in a nursing home or other similar facility. A CNA training class will usually last between four to six weeks and in some cases longer. However, the time from starting a CNA training class, completing the CNA training class, taking the certification exam and starting work as a certified nursing assistant is still relatively short which is why this is one of the most popular professions in the healthcare industry and there is always a need for certified nursing assistants. You do not have to spend years trying to get a degree before you can start providing a necessary service and earning an income. A CNA training class includes textbook work and to help you pass the clinical skills test shown above, the CNA training class will also include demonstrations usually on mannequins and using wheelchairs and other equipment to demonstrate each necessary skill. American Heart Association CPR certification will also be required. To better prepare CNAs for their job duties, a CNA class will also include a clinical portion which is like an internship were the students get to practice the skills they have learned in a real life setting. This setting may be in a hospital, nursing home, etc, that has real patients. This will provide the needed real life practice to not only help a student pass the clinical skills test section of the certification exam, but also help the student perform his or her job functions properly when he or she obtains employment after completing a CNA training class.