Physical Care Skills
Routine physical care
Physical care skills are the everyday tasks that keep a resident clean, safe, nourished, mobile, and comfortable. A candidate must understand hand hygiene and standard precautions, including when to use gloves and when to add gown, mask, or eye protection. Know the sequence for a bed bath, perineal care, oral care, dressing, and bed making, and remember privacy, warmth, and dignity throughout. Positioning and range-of-motion exercises prevent pressure injury and contractures; use pillows and alignment, and never force a joint. Transfers and ambulation require a gait belt when indicated, non-skid footwear, clear paths, and body mechanics that protect both resident and aide. Intake and output, vital signs, and observation are important, but the CNA reports changes rather than diagnosing them.
Traps in questions include doing tasks outside scope, such as inserting a catheter, giving medication, or performing sterile procedures; massaging a reddened pressure area; leaving a resident unattended on a bedpan; and raising the bed without lowering it afterward. Another trap is charting a guess instead of what was observed.
Worked example: During a bed bath you notice a new red area over the sacrum that does not blanch. Do not rub it. Reposition the resident off the area, keep skin clean and dry, tell the nurse promptly, and document the care you provided and the report. Rule of thumb: if a task involves a change in condition or goes beyond routine personal care, stop, protect the resident, and report to the nurse.