How To: Understand and Provide Indirect Care for CNA Certification

What is Indirect Care? Does it affect the CNA's exam result? Indirect Care entails your behavior in terms of how you communicate with the resident, valuing residents' rights and residents' safety and security. Indirect Care is absolutely important because: (1) it is a graded performance, (2) it has separate score ratings, and (3 )it greatly affects the testees' overall performance during the clinical skills exam.

However, in general, test takers often forget Indirect Care on the actual CNA certification exam. They often forget necessary behavior because of nervousness. Exam pressure may cause the test taker to make mistakes while demonstrating a specific skill. If you do not perform Indirect Care practices during your exam, you will surely fail because they directly affect the safety of patients and their rights.

CNA Review for your clinical test on Indirect Care

Step 1 Communicate to the Resident with a Dignified Manner

• Always greet your resident.
• Before performing the care, introduce yourself to the resident.
• Tell your resident why you are there and what procedure you will perform.
• Explain each step of the procedure to the resident before performing it. (Ex: "Now I'm going to turn you over on your side.")

Step 2 Respect Resident's Rights

• Knock on the door first before you enter resident's room.
• Pull the curtain down when performing care. 
• Watch your language and actions when talking and rendering care to the resident.
• Respect the resident's preferences. Do not force them into doing what you think is good for them.

Step 3 Provide Safety and Comfort for the Resident

• Make sure that the resident is in a safe position. 
• Lower the bed when performing care. 
• Use a gait belt if you need to transfer a resident.
• Before leaving the resident, always raise the side rails to avoid resident from falling.
• Before leaving the resident, always lock the bed wheels.
• Always put the call light or signal light within resident's reach.

Step 4 Render Resident's Proper Hygiene

• Always wash your hands before and after performing care. 
• Use gloves during perineal care, catheter care, drainage bag care, denture and mouth care (brushing of teeth), assisting with the use of the bedpan, measurement, and the reporting of the urine output.
• Properly dispose the gloves in hazardous container after performing the care.
• Follow disposal method for soiled items correctly.
• When doing the bed making, avoid the clean linen to have a direct contact with the floor.
• If resident permits, check resident's personal items if it is clean. 
• Always use soap and water on the resident during perineal care.
• Use clean equipment when performing care.

Step 5 Four (4) Important Things to Remember

Don't forget to:

  1. Knock on the door before entering the resident's room

  2. Pull down the curtain (if you are performing perineal care or giving resident a bath).

  3. Always put the call light within resident's reach.

  4. Wash your hands before and after performing care.

Tips

• Remember all the rules and standard precautions you have learned from your CNA training classes. You wouldn't want to be among the examinees that fail their clinical skills exam because they forgot Indirect Care altogether. No matter how minor they may seem, it can greatly affect your test result, which is why an adequate CNA review is absolutely essential to your success. Always bear in mind that the Nurse Aide Evaluator will observe and also evaluate your performance based on your conduct. Be cautious with your attitude towards your resident.