Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA) Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care Syllabus

Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care in Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Infection Prevention and Control

   6 topics

   • Chain of infection and the infection cycle
     • Pathogen, reservoir, and portal of exit/entry
     • Mode of transmission and susceptible host
   • Medical asepsis and hand hygiene
     • Proper handwashing technique
     • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer use
     • When hand hygiene is required
   • Standard precautions
     • Treating all blood and body fluids as infectious
     • Handling sharps and contaminated linens
   • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
     • Gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection
     • Correct order of donning and doffing
   • Transmission-based and isolation precautions
     • Contact, droplet, and airborne precautions
     • Caring for residents in isolation
   • Biohazard and waste disposal
2. 2

   Resident and Workplace Safety

   5 topics

   • Accident and injury prevention
     • Identifying environmental hazards
     • Wet floors, clutter, and proper lighting
   • Fall prevention
     • Risk factors and assessment
     • Use of call lights and bed/chair positioning
     • Non-skid footwear and assistive devices
   • Safe use of restraints and alternatives
     • Physician orders and restraint monitoring
     • Releasing, repositioning, and circulation checks
   • Oxygen and equipment safety
   • Preventing scalds, burns, and poisoning
3. 3

   Emergency Procedures and First Aid

   6 topics

   • Recognizing and responding to emergencies
     • Calling for help and the chain of survival
     • Staying within scope during an emergency
   • Choking and airway obstruction
     • Abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver)
     • Conscious vs. unconscious choking
   • Cardiac and respiratory distress
     • Signs of heart attack and stroke (FAST)
     • Basic CPR and AED awareness
   • Bleeding, shock, and wounds
     • Controlling external bleeding
     • Signs and care of shock
   • Falls, seizures, fainting, and burns
   • Diabetic emergencies (hypo/hyperglycemia)
4. 4

   Fire, Disaster, and Environmental Safety

   4 topics

   • Fire safety and the RACE/PASS procedures
     • Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish
     • Using a fire extinguisher (PASS)
   • Evacuation procedures and resident accountability
   • Disaster and weather emergency preparedness
   • Body mechanics for staff safety
     • Proper lifting and posture
     • Preventing back injury

Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care flashcards for Certified Nursing Assistant Examination (CNA)

25 of 51 cards from the Safety, Infection Control, and Emergency Care deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the six links in the chain of infection?

   1) Infectious agent (pathogen), 2) Reservoir (where it lives/grows), 3) Portal of exit (how it leaves), 4) Mode of transmission, 5) Portal of entry, 6) Susceptible host. Breaking any single link stops the spread of infection.

2. In the chain of infection, what is the difference between a reservoir and a portal of exit?

   A reservoir is the place where the pathogen lives, grows, and multiplies (e.g., a person, animal, food, water, or soil). A portal of exit is the route by which the pathogen leaves the reservoir (e.g., respiratory tract, blood, urine, feces, wounds).

3. What is a healthcare-associated infection (HAI), formerly called a nosocomial infection?

   An infection a person acquires while receiving care in a healthcare setting (hospital, nursing home) that was not present on admission. Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent HAIs.

4. Define medical asepsis (clean technique).

   Practices that reduce the number of pathogens and prevent their spread; it makes items and areas clean. Examples include hand hygiene, cleaning equipment, and standard precautions. (Surgical asepsis, by contrast, makes items sterile/free of all microbes.)

5. According to CDC guidelines, how long should a CNA rub hands together when washing with soap and water?

   At least 20 seconds of vigorous lathering and friction over all surfaces, then rinse with fingertips pointing down and dry with a paper towel; use a clean paper towel to turn off the faucet.

6. When must alcohol-based hand rub NOT be used, requiring soap-and-water washing instead?

   When hands are visibly soiled or contaminated with blood/body fluids, and after caring for a resident with Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) or norovirus, because alcohol does not kill these spores/viruses effectively.

7. What are the 'Five Moments for Hand Hygiene' as defined by WHO?

   1) Before touching a patient, 2) Before a clean/aseptic procedure, 3) After body fluid exposure risk, 4) After touching a patient, 5) After touching patient surroundings.

8. What are Standard Precautions and to whom do they apply?

   Infection-control practices used for ALL residents/patients at ALL times, regardless of diagnosis. They treat blood, all body fluids (except sweat), non-intact skin, and mucous membranes as potentially infectious.

9. List the four main pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE).

   Gloves, gown, mask, and eye protection (goggles or face shield). A respirator (e.g., N95) is used in place of a mask for airborne precautions.

10. What is the correct ORDER for PUTTING ON (donning) PPE?

    1) Gown, 2) Mask or respirator, 3) Goggles/face shield, 4) Gloves (gloves go on last and cover the gown cuffs).

11. What is the correct ORDER for REMOVING (doffing) PPE?

    1) Gloves, 2) Goggles/face shield, 3) Gown, 4) Mask/respirator. Gloves come off first because they are the most contaminated; the mask is removed last (after leaving the room). Perform hand hygiene after removal.

12. Why are gloves removed first when doffing PPE, and how should they be removed?

    Gloves are the most contaminated item. Remove by grasping the outside of one glove and peeling it off inside-out, holding it in the gloved hand, then sliding fingers under the second glove to peel it off over the first—never touching the outer surface with bare skin.

13. What are the three categories of Transmission-Based Precautions?

    1) Contact precautions, 2) Droplet precautions, 3) Airborne precautions. These are used IN ADDITION to standard precautions when a specific transmission route is known or suspected.

14. What PPE and room setup are required for AIRBORNE precautions, and name two example diseases?

    An N95 respirator (fit-tested), and an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) with negative pressure and the door kept closed. Examples: tuberculosis (TB), measles, and chickenpox (varicella).

15. What PPE is required for DROPLET precautions, and how far do droplets travel? Give an example disease.

    A surgical mask within about 3-6 feet of the patient (private room or spatial separation). Droplets travel short distances and do not stay suspended in air. Examples: influenza, pertussis, meningitis, mumps.

16. What PPE is required for CONTACT precautions, and name an example organism?

    Gown and gloves for any contact with the resident or their environment. Examples: MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, scabies, and draining wounds. (C. diff also requires soap-and-water hand washing.)

17. What color and symbol identify a biohazard, and what goes in a red biohazard bag?

    A red or orange-red bag/container marked with the three-crescent biohazard symbol. It holds items saturated with blood or body fluids (e.g., soaked dressings, used PPE). Regular soiled linens/trash do NOT go in biohazard bags.

18. How should used sharps (needles, lancets) be disposed of?

    Immediately placed, uncapped and unbent, into a puncture-resistant, leak-proof, labeled sharps container at the point of use. Never recap needles; never overfill the container (replace at the fill line).

19. What is the general rule for preventing accidents and injuries with residents?

    Know each resident's care plan and abilities; keep the call light within reach; keep the bed in the lowest position with wheels locked; keep the environment free of clutter and spills; and identify residents correctly before care.

20. List four key nursing interventions to prevent falls in residents.

    1) Keep the bed in lowest position with wheels locked, 2) Keep call light/personal items within reach, 3) Ensure proper non-skid footwear and clear, well-lit, clutter-free pathways, 4) Answer call lights promptly and assist with toileting on a schedule.

21. If a resident starts to fall while you are assisting them, what should you do?

    Do NOT try to stop the fall. Ease the resident to the floor by widening your stance, bending your knees, and supporting/lowering them gently against your body to protect their head, then call for help. Trying to catch them can injure you both.

22. What is a physical restraint, and what must legally be in place before one is used?

    Any device, material, or equipment that restricts a person's freedom of movement or access to their own body. It requires a doctor's written order specifying the type and duration, must be the last resort, and used only to protect the resident—never for staff convenience or discipline.

23. How often must a restrained resident be checked and released, and for how long?

    Check the resident at least every 15 minutes; remove the restraint at least every 2 hours for at least 10 minutes to reposition, provide range of motion, toileting, food/fluids, and skin/circulation care.

24. Name three alternatives to using restraints.

    Bed/chair alarms, frequent toileting and observation rounds, lowering the bed and using floor mats, providing diversional activities/companionship, and meeting needs promptly (e.g., pain, hunger, toileting).

25. List three safety rules for caring for a resident receiving oxygen therapy.

    1) No smoking, open flames, or sparks near oxygen (post 'Oxygen in Use' signs), 2) Avoid flammable/oil-based products (petroleum jelly, aerosol sprays) near the resident, 3) Check that tubing is not kinked and that flow rate matches the order (CNAs do not change flow rate).

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