Kansas CNA common mistakes
Kansas CNA · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Entering a resident's room without knocking, opening drawers or closets, or moving personal belongings without asking first.
Candidates focus on finishing the task list and treat the room as a work area rather than the resident's home; time pressure makes announcing and asking feel like an unnecessary extra step.
What to do instead
Knock, state your name and purpose, and wait for an answer before entering; ask before opening drawers or using belongings, and close curtains or doors during care. Treat permission as part of the task, not an interruption to it.
Taking over activities the resident can still do themselves, such as feeding, buttoning a shirt, or holding the toothbrush, in order to finish faster.
Candidates equate speed with good care and feel helpful when they do the work; they also fear a slow or messy result.
What to do instead
Before each task, ask what the resident would like help with and let them do the rest, allowing extra time. Prompt and set up supplies rather than completing the action for them, and document the resident's actual level of function.
Transferring a resident without locking the wheelchair brakes, without a gait belt, or by pulling on the resident's arms or underarms.
Candidates are confident from practice reps and skip setup steps under time pressure; pulling feels faster and the injury risk is invisible in the moment.
What to do instead
Run the same setup sequence every time out loud: bed height, brakes locked, gait belt on, non-skid footwear, clear path. Use a stand-pivot with the belt at the waist, and get a second staff member when the resident is weak or unsteady.
Leaving a resident alone in the bathtub or shower, on the toilet, or on the bed with side rails down because a supply was forgotten or a call light is ringing elsewhere.
Candidates underestimate how quickly a resident can slide, fall, or become distressed, and believe 'just stepping out for a second' is harmless.
What to do instead
Gather every supply before starting and keep the call light within reach; never leave a resident unattended in water or on a toilet. If something is missing, use the call system or ask a coworker instead of leaving.
Wearing the same gloves from one resident to the next or into the hallway, and skipping hand hygiene because gloves were worn.
Gloves feel like a barrier that replaces washing, and candidates may not see visible soil so they assume the hands are clean.
What to do instead
Perform hand hygiene before and after every resident contact and after glove removal; change gloves between residents and between dirty and clean tasks. Treat every resident's blood and body fluids as potentially infectious regardless of diagnosis.
Washing the perineal area back-to-front, reusing the same washcloth for the perineum and then the legs or face, or failing to rinse and dry the area.
Candidates learn the motions without the rationale behind wash order and use one cloth to save time.
What to do instead
Wash from cleanest to dirtiest and front to back, using a fresh area of cloth or a new cloth for each stroke, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. Keep the rationale in mind: this sequence prevents carrying organisms toward the urethra.
Not reporting changes such as new redness, a sudden change in confusion, refusing meals, or complaints of pain, treating them as minor or 'not my job.'
Candidates do not want to bother the nurse, fear being wrong, or do not recognize that a small change can be the first sign of a serious problem.
What to do instead
Report any change from the resident's normal baseline to the charge nurse immediately, using objective facts: what you saw, when, and what the resident said. Document what you reported and to whom.
Discussing the resident with family or staff as if the resident were not present, or using terms like 'honey,' 'sweetie,' or 'we' instead of the resident's name.
These phrases are learned as friendly habits, and candidates under time pressure talk around the resident rather than to them.
What to do instead
Address the resident by name, speak directly to them, and include them in any conversation about their care. Save care discussions for private areas away from the bedside and use adult language.
Dismissing a withdrawn, tearful, or suddenly uninterested resident as 'just quiet' and continuing the task without exploring or reporting it.
Candidates are trained on physical tasks and do not see mood change as clinical information; they may also avoid an uncomfortable conversation.
What to do instead
Note changes in mood, appetite, sleep, or participation, ask the resident open questions, and report the observation to the nurse. Stay with the resident briefly, listen without correcting feelings, and document what you observed.
Arguing with a resident who has dementia about facts, correcting their statements, or rushing them through a task while they are agitated.
The instinct is to reorient the person to reality, and task pacing is driven by the schedule rather than the resident's processing speed.
What to do instead
Do not argue or correct; acknowledge the feeling, redirect to a safe topic or activity, and use short sentences with one step at a time. Slow down, approach from the front at eye level, and allow pauses for a response.