Alaska CNA common mistakes
Alaska CNA · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Leaves the room with the bed at working height, wheels unlocked, or the call light clipped to the bed rail instead of within the resident's reach.
Attention stays on the task just finished (bathing, changing linens) rather than on the room condition at the moment of leaving; under time pressure the last safety sweep gets skipped entirely.
What to do instead
Build a fixed exit sequence performed every single time before crossing the doorway: bed lowered, wheels locked, side rails as the care plan specifies, call light in the resident's hand, personal items within reach. Say the items silently in the same order each time until it is automatic.
Enters a room and begins care or transports a resident using the room number, the name on the door, or the resident's face as the identifier.
Familiarity with a regular assignment makes verification feel like pointless paperwork, and during a rushed shift the wristband check is the step that quietly disappears.
What to do instead
Use two identifiers every encounter, every time, before touching the resident or the equipment: ask the resident to state their name and compare it to the wristband. If the resident cannot state it, verify with the band and the assignment sheet rather than guessing.
Moves a resident from bed to chair without a gait belt when the care plan calls for one, forgets to lock the wheelchair, or pivots the resident toward the weak side.
The transfer 'works' without the belt most of the time, so the habit erodes; and the direction of the pivot is easy to get backwards when thinking about the resident's comfort rather than their strength.
What to do instead
Rehearse the full sequence: lock the chair, position it on the resident's strong side, apply and grip the gait belt, have the resident lean forward and push up on command, pivot toward the strong side, then lower into the seat. Treat every step as required, not optional, even for short trips to the bathroom.
Accepts a task that falls outside the nurse aide's scope, such as administering a medication or a PRN, changing a sterile dressing, adjusting an IV rate, or clamping a urinary catheter.
The resident asks, the nurse is busy, and the aide wants to be helpful; many candidates also cannot describe where their scope ends because no one ever listed it for them.
What to do instead
Memorize the short list of things that always belong to the licensed nurse and practice a neutral refusal script: 'That's something the nurse has to do, I'll let them know right now.' Report the request to the nurse and document that it was passed along.
Documents judgments instead of observations ('resident was combative and difficult', 'resident seemed fine') and reports a change to a coworker instead of the licensed nurse.
Everyday language is evaluative, so writing 'uncooperative' feels like describing what happened; and telling a nearby aide feels faster than finding the nurse.
What to do instead
Convert every judgment into countable, observable facts: what the resident said, what they did, what was measured ('refused lunch, ate 25%, said her stomach hurt at 1200'). Report changes directly to the licensed nurse, then document time, what was reported, and to whom.
Breaks the hand hygiene and glove sequence during perineal care, for example washing the perineal area before the legs, wiping back to front, or keeping the same gloves on to move from the soiled area to the clean area.
The steps are taught once and then compressed under time pressure; back-to-front is also the easier reach for a right-handed caregiver working from the side of the bed.
What to do instead
Follow a fixed order and change gloves mid-care: cleanest area first, perineal area last, always front to back, new gloves before touching clean skin or clean linen, hand hygiene after glove removal. Talk through the order out loud while practicing until it becomes the default.
Exposes the resident during care, leaves the door or curtain open during bathing or toileting, or discusses a resident's condition in the hallway or dining room.
The focus is on finishing the task, and doors and curtains stop registering as part of it; hallway conversation feels private because no resident is visibly present.
What to do instead
Treat draping and enclosure as steps with the same status as washing: close the door or pull the curtain, expose only the part being washed, and pull the cover back over it before moving on. Hold all resident information for a private area, and redirect family or coworkers who raise it in public.
Performs tasks for the resident that the care plan says the resident can do themselves, such as feeding, buttoning a shirt, or brushing teeth, because it is faster than waiting.
Independence is slower and messier than doing it for them, and shift time pressure rewards speed; candidates often assume 'good care' means doing more.
What to do instead
Read the care plan's self-care level before starting and set up rather than take over: place the toothbrush in the hand, cut food and position the tray, allow extra minutes, and offer cueing instead of substituting your hands. Document what the resident did and any decline from their usual level.
Skips or shortens repositioning turns on an immobile resident, or performs range of motion by bouncing the joint and pushing past the point where resistance begins.
A resident who is not complaining feels 'fine', so the two-hour turn gets dropped when another task runs long; and forcing a joint feels like it must be doing more good.
What to do instead
Tie turning to a timer or the unit's turn schedule and check skin at each turn, reporting any redness that does not blanch. With range of motion, move slowly and smoothly, stop at the first resistance or report of pain, never force or bounce a joint, and record the limit.
Feeds a resident with swallowing difficulty while the resident is lying back or slumped, delivers bites too fast, mixes solid food into liquids, and does not check the mouth for pocketing.
Feeding is treated as a race against a cooling tray rather than a technique with a stop rule; silence from the resident is read as 'doing fine' rather than as a possible sign of aspiration.
What to do instead
Sit the resident fully upright before the first bite, offer small amounts on the tip of the spoon, give one food at a time, watch the throat for a complete swallow, and check the cheek for pocketing after several bites. Stop and report coughing, a wet or gurgly voice, or a change in breathing.