California CNA study guide
California CNA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The California Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) credential is the state certification a nursing assistant needs to work in California's nursing facilities and long-term care settings. Candidates generally complete a state-approved training program and then pass a competency evaluation that pairs a written knowledge test with a hands-on skills demonstration before being listed on the certification registry. The California CNA study guide has 8 sections and about 2,505 words.
01Basic Nursing Skills: Measuring, Observing, and Reporting
Basic nursing skills is the measurement-and-monitoring domain: vital signs, intake and output, weight, specimen collection, range of motion, positioning, transfers, catheter care, and oxygen safety. The exam seldom asks you to diagnose.
329 words, about 2 min02Personal Care Skills: Hygiene, Skin, and Dressing
Personal care is about doing for the resident only what the resident cannot safely do alone. Bathing, oral care, denture care, grooming, shaving, dressing, perineal care, bed making, toileting, and pressure-injury prevention all follow the same principle: clean to dirty, and as much independence as possible.
328 words, about 2 min03Resident Rights: Dignity, Choice, and Protection
Resident rights come from federal nursing home law (OBRA 1987) and state rules, and they are enforceable. The core ideas are dignity, privacy, self-determination, and freedom from abuse and neglect.
310 words, about 2 min04Safety and Emergency Procedures: Prevent, Protect, Respond
Most safety questions are prevention questions: call light within reach, bed low and locked, floor clear, non-skid footwear, adequate lighting, uncluttered path to the bathroom, and frequent checks on high-fall-risk residents. Restraint-free care means finding the cause - pain, toileting, boredom, fear - and solving it.
328 words, about 2 min05Infection Control: Breaks in the Chain
The chain has six links: infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Infection control is simply breaking one link - usually the transmission link, and usually with hand hygiene.
306 words, about 2 min06Nutrition and Hydration: Safe Eating and Drinking
Food and fluid are treatment. You are responsible for serving the correct tray, positioning the resident, feeding safely, recording intake and output, and reporting changes.
300 words, about 2 min07Mental Health and Social Service Needs
A resident who strikes out, refuses care, or calls out repeatedly is usually expressing pain, fear, loneliness, boredom, or loss of control. Your first question is never "how do I stop this?" but "what is this person telling me?" Normal aging may bring loss, grief, and changed roles, but depression is not normal aging and must be reported.
290 words, about 1 min08Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Communication is verbal and nonverbal: tone, facial expression, posture, and touch often carry more than words. Therapeutic communication is purposeful, respectful, and resident-centered.
314 words, about 2 min