Physical Care Skills
Core concepts
Physical care questions test whether you can provide safe, respectful assistance with daily needs while staying inside your training. Know hand hygiene and standard precautions; positioning and alignment; range-of-motion exercises; safe transfers with a gait belt; bed rails and bed height; intake and output; vital signs; bathing, perineal care, and skin inspection; oral care; feeding and hydration; toileting, catheters, and specimen collection; and emergency recognition.
Common traps
Questions often offer an action that is too invasive or too advanced for a CNA, such as changing a sterile dressing, giving medication, or deciding a treatment. Another trap is interpreting a finding instead of reporting it. Know the difference between measuring and diagnosing. Do not massage reddened or bony areas. Do not force food or fluids. Do not leave a resident on a bedpan longer than needed. Always check the care plan and orders before a transfer, and use a gait belt unless contraindicated.
Worked example
A resident wants to get up. You check the care plan, lock the bed, lower it, put non-skid footwear on the resident, apply a gait belt, and let the resident dangle before standing. If the resident becomes dizzy or pale, sit them down and report it. The rule of thumb is: new, sudden, or worsening findings are reported, not ignored.
Study focus
Practice the sequence of safe care: identify, prepare, explain, assist, observe, document, and report changes.