Texas CNA Skills (Part Nine): Skills on the CNA State Test that Require Measurements

The National Nurse Aide Assessment Program, or NNAAP for short, is a nationwide credentialing program for nurse aides who want to pursue certification as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). In other words, the NNAAP exam is better known as the CNA state test. Additionally, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is the entity that has been entrusted with the formulation, revision and administration of the CNA state test.

In most states in the US, the CNA state test is comprised of two distinct sections: a written (or oral) knowledge test made up of 70 multiple choice questions, and a procedural skills competency evaluation consisting of five different hands-on skills that must be demonstrated in front of a nurse aide evaluator.

The procedural hands-on skills evaluation section of the CNA state test takes place in a setting that has been arranged to simulate a patient care environment such as a room inside a long term care facility. Each test taker will have exactly 30 minutes to demonstrate competency in the five skills. The nurse aide candidate must attain a passing cut score on four out of the five procedural skills in order to pass the skills evaluation section of the CNA state test.

The first procedural skill that all test takers in Texas complete is hand-washing, and the remaining four skills will be selected totally at random. Moreover, the NNAAP skills evaluation mandates that all test takers complete at least one numerical measurement skill as part of the CNA state test (Pearson Vue, 2018). All of the hands-on procedural skills that require documentation of a numeric measurement have been listed below.

1. Measurement and documentation of blood pressure
2. Measurement and documentation of respiration rate
3. Measurement and documentation of radial pulse
4. Measurement and documentation of urinary output
5. Measurement and documentation of an ambulatory patient’s body weight

On the scheduled day of the CNA state test, the test taker will need to bring three sharpened number two pencils with erasers to the testing center site to record the numerical measurements. The test taker will also need to bring a wristwatch with a second hand to the testing center to perform certain skills.

During the CNA state test, nurse aide test takers in Texas will be using the following standardized, approved form to document the numerical measurement(s) of the random procedural skill(s) they have been assigned.

REFERENCES

National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2018). NNAAP & MACE. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/nnaap-and-mace.htm

Pearson Vue. (2018). Texas Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook. Retrieved from https://home.pearsonvue.com/getattachment/73a0c524-4cbe-401a-aa5c-fe1ebf4e2517/Texas