Massachusetts CNA study plan
Massachusetts CNA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Basic nursing skills and clinical care & Safety, emergency response, and infection control
List and define the core nurse aide scope-of-practice tasks in basic nursing skills, marking which ones require reporting to the licensed nurse
Demonstrate (on a practice partner or mannequin) correct hand hygiene and donning/doffing of gloves at the right moments in a care sequence
Identify 10 standard and transmission-based precautions scenarios and state the correct PPE for each
Explain the chain of infection and name one aide action that breaks each link
Your checkpoint
A one-page handwritten infection-control cheat sheet covering hand hygiene moments, PPE order, and 3 isolation scenarios, self-quizzed to 90% accuracy.
Basic nursing skills and clinical care & Safety, emergency response, and infection control
Measure and record temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure, and pulse oximetry on a practice partner, stating normal ranges aloud
Describe safe body mechanics for moving, turning, and repositioning a resident and identify 5 actions that prevent caregiver injury
Sequence the steps for safely transferring a resident from bed to chair with a gait belt
Recognize and state the immediate action for 5 emergency events (choking, fall, seizure, bleeding, sudden shortness of breath)
Describe how to measure and record intake and output and daily weight accurately
Your checkpoint
A skills checklist of 8 clinical procedures with each step written in order and a self-rating of confident / needs practice for every step.
Personal care and activities of daily living & Safety, emergency response, and infection control
Perform a complete bed bath and perineal care in correct front-to-back order while preserving privacy and warmth
List the steps for oral care, denture care, and hair/nail care for a dependent resident
Explain how to assist with dressing, eating, toileting, and incontinence care while encouraging maximum self-performance
Identify 5 skin-breakdown risk factors and state one prevention action for each
Describe safe handling of soiled linens and body-fluid spills according to standard precautions
Your checkpoint
A written 12-step personal-care routine for one simulated resident, including at least 3 dignity and independence prompts embedded in the steps.
Safety, emergency response, and infection control & Basic nursing skills and clinical care
Explain the aide's role in fire safety, including RACE-style response and evacuation priorities, without reference to notes
Describe safe use of oxygen, restraints alternatives, and side rails within scope, identifying what must be reported immediately
List 6 environmental hazards in a resident room and state the correction for each
Summarize when and how to report changes in condition, and rehearse a report using a structured format (situation, observation, action)
Your checkpoint
Timed 25-question self-made quiz on safety and emergency response, scored and corrected, with every missed item rewritten as a correct statement.
Communication and interpersonal skills & Personal care and activities of daily living
Demonstrate 4 communication techniques (open-ended questions, restating, clarifying, silence) in a role-play with a partner
Identify barriers to communication (hearing loss, aphasia, dementia, language difference) and state one adaptation for each
Explain how to communicate with an angry, anxious, or confused resident without arguing or escalating
Describe how to report and document care objectively, separating observation from opinion
Outline how to support a resident's independence during ADLs while still completing the task safely
Your checkpoint
Two written sample reports: one change-in-condition report to the nurse and one objective charting entry, each under 100 words and free of opinion statements.
Resident rights, dignity, and independence promotion & Communication and interpersonal skills
List the core resident rights (privacy, dignity, choice, refusal, confidentiality, freedom from abuse and neglect) and give a concrete aide behavior for each
Identify 4 types of abuse and neglect and state the mandatory reporting obligation and immediate steps
Explain how to honor a resident's right to refuse care while still reporting the refusal
Describe how to protect confidentiality in conversation, documentation, and phone or visitor interactions
Draft 3 phrases that redirect a resident's choice without taking control away
Your checkpoint
A resident-rights scenario set of 5 short cases, each answered with the correct right involved and the aide's proper action.
Basic nursing skills and clinical care & Personal care and activities of daily living & Safety, emergency response, and infection control
Re-drill the 10 lowest-scoring skills from weeks 1 through 4 to full checklist accuracy
Combine skills into one full simulated care sequence: hygiene, vital signs, transfer, and safety check in under 20 minutes
Recite normal ranges and key reporting thresholds from memory
Explain how infection control, safety, and personal care overlap in a single resident interaction
Your checkpoint
One end-to-end timed skills run with a partner, scored against your own checklist at 90% or better.
Basic nursing skills and clinical care & Personal care and activities of daily living & Safety, emergency response, and infection control & Communication and interpersonal skills & Resident rights, dignity, and independence promotion
Complete at least 2 full-length mixed practice tests and log every missed item by domain
Review all flagged or uncertain items and convert each into a one-line correct fact
Rehearse the 5 most commonly tested procedures aloud as if instructing a peer
Confirm test-day logistics: identification, timing, breaks, and what to bring
Your checkpoint
A final one-page review sheet of the 20 facts you missed most often, plus a written test-day plan with logistics confirmed.
Milestones
Week 2: Can state all vital-sign normal ranges from memory and perform hand hygiene and PPE sequencing without prompting.
Week 4: Scores 80% or higher on the self-made safety and emergency quiz and can describe the immediate action for choking, fall, seizure, and fire.
Week 6: Can name all core resident rights and state the aide's mandatory reporting steps for suspected abuse without notes.
Week 8: Scores 80% or higher on two full-length mixed practice tests, with no single domain below 70%.