Personal Care Assistant Competency Test

As a Personal Care Assistant, you will never get any further training after orientation.

When you work in the home, you will be:

It is your responsibility as a Personal Care Assistant to plan the client's care.

In the home, it is important to be a good listener.

You only communicate through words.

Which of the following is important in communicating with people?

Body language is:

If you do not chart a task that you do for a patient, legally, it was not done.

If the patient has a new area of skin breakdown, and the nurse is coming in two days, you do not need to report the skin breakdown to your supervisor.

A rapid pulse and shortness of breath in a patient usually indicates the patient is excited and does not need to be reported to the nurse.

The patient tells you he has not moved his bowels in three days. What should you do?

Which of these actions is the Personal Care Assistant permitted to take in relation to drug administration?

When a patient complains of pain, what should the Personal Care Assistant do first?

A patient's prescription for heart pills has recently been changed. The home health PCA should notify the agency supervisor immediately if the patient makes which of these comments?

Mrs. Rand, who has diabetes and take insulin regularly, tells the Personal Care Assistant that she feels very nervous and jittery. What should the PCA do immediately?

Always report a pulse rate if the beats per minute are under 60 or over 100.

The temperature of an unconscious patient should be taken orally since they are not moving about.

Recording a patient's “TPR” or vital signs is not important as long as you remember what they were.

For which, if any, of these body areas is 99.6 degrees F. a normal temperature?

When taking a patient's pulse, you should take it for:

When a patient's respirations are being counted, it is best that the patient:

Hand washing is the single best way to decrease the transfer of pathogens.

Gloves should be worn when handling items soiled by body fluids.

The catheter drainage bag must be lower than the bladder, but not on the floor.

During a visit, you need to wash your hands after removing gloves:

In what situation should gloves be used?

Diarrhea can cause dehydration and other serious complications and should be reported.

If a person complains of pain, it is important to have the patient describe the pain and then report it to the nurse and record it in your notes.

It's normal for most people to complain of pressure, swelling, or bloating in their ankles, feet, stomach or legs.

If you notice the patient's catheter is not draining, the first thing you should do is:

Which of the following is not recommended for promoting good daily bowel habits:

Mrs. Morris has not had a bowel movement for three days. She has always given herself an enema if she does not have a good bowel movement for that long a time. Mrs. Morris asks the Personal Care Assistant to give her an enema. What should the PCA do?

Bedrails should never be used to secure vest restraints.

Smoking in bed is fine for anyone who is not confused.

Every patient is the same and has the same needs and wants

It is all right to use any item in the home without asking as long as it is for the patient's personal care.

You may use the telephone in the patient's home without asking permission.

A neighbor has asked you some questions about the patient you are presently taking care of. “Mrs. Cooler is dying, isn't she?” How will you answer her?

Which of these statements about the elderly is true?

When working with person who are disabled, the general goal of care is to:

It is Mrs. Morris' usual time for lunch, but she says she is not hungry yet. This is the first time that Mrs. Morris has made this type of statement. What should the home health PCA do?

The ability to make observations is even more important when working with infants and young children than it is when working with adults. The chief reason for this is that infants and young children:

It is important to keep a patient covered during a bed bath except for the part being washed.

Massaging of bony prominences helps to prevent skin breakdown by increasing the blood supply to the area.

When giving peri-care to a patient after a BM, wash using a front to back motion in order not to spread fecal material to other areas.

When giving the patient a bath, if the water is too hot, it can injure (burn) the person's skin. If it is too cold, it can chill the person. Therefore you should test the Water Temperature before beginning the bath by:

Which of the following is most appropriate practice to promote good skin care in the elderly:

If dentures are not worn when sleeping, where should you store them?

An elderly male patient occasionally wets his trousers. What should the home health PCA do?

In giving foot care to a patient who has diabetes, the Personal Care Assistant may take which of these actions?

Always transfer a patient towards his good side.

There is no need to be near an object to pick it up, just reach.

It's best to use a gait belt if a patient is unsteady.

A patient lying on his back has slid down in bed and needs help in moving up again. To start this, the patient should, if possible:

Before helping a patient into or out of a wheelchair, which of these actions are necessary?

When assisting a patient to walk with his walker, you should:

Reinforce a dressing.

Apply a hot pack.

Give and enema.

Administer medication.

Change a sterile dressing.

Assist with change of a colostomy bag.

Give a rectal suppository.

Give a tubal feeding.

Give insulin.

Cut Nails.

As a Personal Care Assistant, you:

As a Personal Care Assistant, it is your responsibility to:

Always tell the patient what you are going to do before starting a procedure.

PCA care for a conscious patient should be preceded by:

Miss Harris, a Personal Care Assistant, is assigned to care for Mr. Goodway. Miss Harris notices that she feels very angry when she is with Mr. Goodway. What should Miss Harris do because she feels this way?

A patient accuses a Personal Care Assistant of stealing five dollars. The PCA has not taken the patient's money, but the patient does not believe this. What should the PCA do?

Part of your duties as a Personal Care Assistant are to assure a safe home environment. This includes:

A patient is receiving oxygen through a nasal cannula. What safety precautions should the Personal Care Assistant take?

For an injury with profuse bleeding, apply pressure and call for assistance.

If the patient begins to have a seizure, your first responsibility is to prevent the patient from injuring himself.

If the patient falls and complains of pain in his hip, you should help him/her to get up and walk to the bed.

A patient is choking on some object that is caught in his/her airway. Before first-aid measures are applied, find out:

While giving a bath on a shower chair, the patient suddenly gasps and becomes unresponsive. The PCA should:

For which of these emergencies is a knowledge of pressure points essential?

The telephone numbers of all the following are important to a patient. Which number must the Person Care Assistant have next to the telephone?