Your Career
Role and primary duties of the CNA
ADL's, Nutrition, and Health?
Ethics and Ethical Decisions in the workplace
moral principles like autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice to workplace decisions
Identify microorganisms and explain how they cause infection
Bacteria: cause illness by releasing harmful toxins. They can also spread through contaminated food, water, or contact with infected individuals.
Viruses: Microscopic capsules of genetic material (DNA or RNA) that hijack a host cell's machinery to make copies of themselves.
Fungi: Primitive organisms like yeasts and molds that can cause infections, especially in people with weakened immune systems.
Parasites: Organisms, such as protozoa and parasitic worms, that live on or in another living thing (a host).
How do pressure ulcers form?
prolonged pressure, friction, or shear damages skin and underlying tissues
Role of nutrition in health and its essentials
provides the essential nutrients for growth, development, and bodily functions, while also protecting against diseases and impacting physical and mental well-being
Personal Attributes of a successful CNA
Compassion, empathy, and patience
Code of Conduct for Healthcare workers in long-term care.
respecting residents' dignity, privacy, and autonomy; ensuring safe and competent care; maintaining professional boundaries
Infectious Agent: The pathogen (like a bacterium, virus, or fungus) that causes the disease.
Reservoir: The place where the infectious agent lives and multiplies, such as a person, animal, or object.
Portal of Exit: The way the infectious agent leaves the reservoir, such as through coughing, sneezing, or bodily fluids.
Mode of Transmission: The method by which the infectious agent travels from the reservoir to the new host. This can be through direct contact, droplets, or airborne transmission.
Portal of Entry: The way the infectious agent enters the new host, such as through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or mucous membranes.
Susceptible Host: A person at risk for infection due to factors like a weakened immune system, age, or existing health conditions.
Methods of preventing skin and pressure injuries
frequently change positions, keep skin clean and dry, use protective padding, ensure good nutrition, and regularly check the skin for redness or breakdown
Methods of Determining and Honoring Resident Food Preferences
create personalized meal plans that include dietary restrictions, offer a variety of choices, and involve residents in decision-making through activities like taste testing and resident-run menu committees
Role of the CNA is various healthcare facilities
Provide essential, hands-on patient care
Compliance and Ethics programs and responsibilities
Code of Conduct and Policies
Effective handwashing
wetting your hands with clean running water, applying soap, and rubbing them together vigorously for at least 20 seconds to lather all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, between fingers, and under nails. After a thorough rinse, dry your hands completely with a clean towel or air dryer, and use the towel to turn off the faucet
Providing hstate 1 pressure ulcer care
relieve pressure on the area through frequent repositioning and the use of support surfaces, keep the skin clean and dry, and ensure proper nutrition
Role of modifying diets and promoting resident compliance while respecting choice.
providing personalized, nutritious, and palatable meals that align with health needs and preferences, while empowering residents with information and the right to refuse care
Legal requirements to be a CNA
100 Clinical Hours, 75 Classroom Hours, Pass the state test
Effective gloving
double gloving for procedures like surgery, often with a larger, colored underglove to easily spot breaches in the outer glove
Head to Toe skin observation for pressure ulcers
non-blanching redness, discoloration (red, blue, or purple in dark skin), skin breakdown, warmth, and changes in moisture or texture
CNA role in managing feeding tubes
patient comfort, correct positioning, and monitoring for issues
Examples of taking care of you
Hygiene, proper body movements, and proper nutrition
Effective cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization
Effective cleaning removes soil, while disinfection kills most harmful germs, and sterilization eliminates all microorganisms, including spores
CNA role in dysphagia management
assist with safe feeding, provide care, and report observations to the nursing staff