Delaware CNA common mistakes
Delaware CNA · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Starting a bed-to-chair transfer or repositioning without first locking every wheel on the bed and chair.
Candidates rehearse the transfer sequence under time pressure and treat wheel locks as an optional step, so the bed rolls mid-transfer.
What to do instead
Use a 'brakes first' habit: before touching the resident, physically push each wheel lock and say 'brakes locked' out loud. Practice the check until it is automatic.
Bathing or toileting a resident with the door open, curtain partly open, or the resident's body unnecessarily exposed.
Attention is fixed on finishing the task and passing the skill, so dignity and privacy are treated as afterthoughts.
What to do instead
Knock and announce, close the door or pull the curtain fully, and uncover only the body part being washed. Say the privacy steps aloud during practice so they become part of the routine.
Speaking to the family member or instructor about the resident instead of speaking directly to the resident, or using clinical jargon.
Nervousness and habit from clinical language lead candidates to talk over the resident rather than to them.
What to do instead
Address the resident by name, make eye contact at their level, use plain words, and ask the resident to repeat back what was said. Redirect questions from family back to the resident when the resident can answer.
Taking a blood pressure with the cuff over clothing or the wrong cuff size, or taking a temperature without allowing the required wait time.
Unfamiliar equipment and rushing cause shortcuts that produce inaccurate readings.
What to do instead
Practice the full measurement sequence with the actual equipment: bare arm, correct cuff size, cuff at heart level, and the manufacturer's wait time observed. Verbalize each step during practice.
Agreeing to give a medication, change a sterile dressing, or offer medical advice when asked by a resident or family.
The candidate wants to be helpful and is unsure where the nurse assistant role ends.
What to do instead
Learn the Delaware CNA scope of practice. Use a set phrase: 'That's something the nurse needs to do - I'll get them now,' and report the request.
Wearing gloves instead of washing hands, or wearing the same gloves from one resident or task to the next.
Time pressure and a mistaken belief that gloves replace hand hygiene.
What to do instead
Wash hands before donning and after removing gloves, and change gloves between tasks and residents. Follow the sequence: wash, gloves, care, remove, wash.
Doing everything for the resident during bathing, dressing, or feeding when the resident can do part of it.
Doing it yourself is faster and feels safer, so the candidate unintentionally takes over.
What to do instead
Set up supplies and cue the resident to do what they can, then assist only with the parts they cannot manage. Ask the resident what they would like to do first.
Not reporting a change in condition, a fall, or a mistake to the nurse, or reporting it only at the end of the shift.
Fear of blame and the assumption that a small change will not matter.
What to do instead
Report immediately to the nurse using objective facts: what you saw, when, and what you did. Then document per facility policy. Practice reporting a change in one or two sentences.
Repositioning a resident without checking the skin over pressure areas or leaving heels and elbows in contact with the bed.
Repositioning is treated as a mechanical turn rather than a skin assessment.
What to do instead
Reposition at the care-plan interval, inspect the skin each time, and place pillows to float heels and protect bony areas. Record each turn and any redness seen.
Ambulating or transferring a resident without a gait belt, or standing too far away and twisting at the waist.
Overconfidence and rushing lead candidates to skip the belt or use poor body mechanics.
What to do instead
Apply the gait belt per the care plan before any transfer or ambulation, keep the resident close, bend the knees, and ask for a second helper when indicated.