Personal Care and Basic Nursing Skills
What this domain tests
Personal care is the day-to-day core of LNA work: bathing, oral care, grooming, dressing, toileting, perineal care, feeding, positioning, range of motion, and ambulation. Questions test whether you can perform these tasks safely, respectfully, and within your scope of practice.
Concepts you must know
- Skin and pressure injuries: check pressure points, keep skin clean and dry, reposition at least every two hours or as the care plan states, avoid dragging during transfers, and use a gait belt.
- Perineal care: clean from front to back, from clean to dirty, using a new washcloth for each stroke and gloves throughout.
- Vital signs: know normal adult ranges and report changes rather than interpreting them yourself. Count respirations for a full 30 or 60 seconds without announcing it.
- Intake and output: record accurately and report low urine output, inability to void, or poor intake.
- Body mechanics: wide base of support, bend at the knees, keep the load close, and pivot with the feet.
- Dignity: privacy, explaining each step, and encouraging the resident to do what they can for themselves.
Traps
Questions often present a task outside LNA scope as the best answer, such as changing a sterile dressing, adjusting a medication, or teaching a new diagnosis. The correct answer is usually the action within your training plus a report to the nurse. Absolutes such as "always" and "never" are usually wrong unless they state a true safety rule.
Rule of thumb
If a task is not in your training, the care plan, or your state's LNA scope, do not do it. Report it to the nurse instead.