Basic Nursing Skills
11%of exam
VitalsI&OPositioningSkinMeasurements
Personal Care
11%of exam
BathingDressingFeedingPerinealHygiene
Safety
10%of exam
Mental Health
9%of exam
DepressionGriefBehaviorValidationCoping
Role and Responsibility
9%of exam
Infection Control
9%of exam
HandwashingPPEPrecautionsLinenCleaning
Care Impaired
8%of exam
DementiaRedirectionWanderingImpairmentsRoutine
Communication
8%of exam
ListeningReportingSBARHIPAABarriers
Older Adult Growth
6%of exam
Resident Rights
6%of exam
DignityPrivacyRefusalChoiceOmbudsman
Disease Process
6%of exam
CHFCOPDDiabetesStrokeDVT
Data Collection
6%of exam
ObjectiveSubjectiveI&ORecordsChanges
Quick Facts
- Credential
- Ohio STNA
- Vendor
- D&S Headmaster
- Portal
- Ohio TMU
- Knowledge
- 79 questions
- Time
- 90 minutes
- Pass
- 70% knowledge
- Skills
- 3 or 4 tasks
- Skill time
- 35 minutes
- Attempts
- 3 each
- Window
- 2 years
- Training
- 75 hours minimum
- Registry
- Ohio NAR
Subject Counts
- Basic nursing
- 9 questions
- Personal care
- 9 questions
- Safety
- 8 questions
- Mental health
- 7 questions
- Role
- 7 questions
- Infection
- 7 questions
- Care impaired
- 6 questions
- Communication
- 6 questions
- Five-point areas
- Five questions each
Basic Skills
- Pulse
- Rate and rhythm
- Respirations
- Count quietly
- Output
- Read eye-level
- Output tolerance
- Within 25 mL
- Resp tolerance
- Within two breaths
- Skin
- Report redness
- Pain
- Resident reports
- Change
- Report promptly
Skill List
- Stocking
- Smooth, wrinkle-free
- Ambulation
- Gait belt
- Walker
- Stabilize walker
- Bed bath
- Face and arm
- Denture care
- Line sink
- Affected dressing
- Weak side first
- Feeding
- Resident in bed
- Occupied bed
- Linen safety
- ROM
- Hip, knee, shoulder
- Pulse respirations
- Record accurately
Personal Care
- Privacy
- Curtain and drape
- Bathing
- Clean to dirty
- Perineal
- Front to back
- Catheter
- Away from meatus
- Dressing
- Weak side first
- Undressing
- Strong side first
- Dentures
- Cool water
- Nail care
- Observe, no cutting
- Feeding
- Small bites
Skill Opening
Hands, explain, privacy, safety, call light
HandsExplainPrivacySafetyCall light
Key vs Non-Key
Key steps
- Bolded steps
- All required
- Miss means fail
Non-key steps
- 80 percent
- Each task
- Still scored
All vs 80 percent
Skill Picker
- First task assigned→Mandatory group(Soap wash end)
- Output measured→Recording form(Sign before start)
- Manikin task→Perineal or catheter(No live actor)
- Mistake noticed→Correct now(Before finished)
- Scenario unclear→Ask repeat(Timer still runs)
Mandatory Skills
- Bedpan output
- Soap handwash end
- Male brief
- Manikin task
- Drainage bag
- PPE and output
- Catheter care
- Female manikin
- Female perineal
- Manikin task
- First task
- One mandatory
- Handwashing
- Embedded soap wash
- Random add-ons
- Two or three
Fire Safety
RACE first; PASS only if safe
RescueAlarmContainExtinguishPullAim
Actual vs Verbalized
Actual
- Demonstrated step
- Observer sees
- Credit possible
Verbalized
- Only spoken
- No credit
- Except stated
Do beats say
Skill Scoring
- Key steps
- All required
- Non-key steps
- 80 percent each
- Order
- Flexible unless stated
- Verbalized only
- No credit
- Corrections
- Before finished
- Scenario repeat
- Allowed during time
- Failed retest
- Includes failed task
- Scoring
- Headmaster double-checks
Safety Basics
- Bed
- Low and locked
- Wheelchair
- Brakes locked
- Call light
- Within reach
- Non-skid shoes
- Before standing
- Gait belt
- Snug, checked
- Body mechanics
- Wide base
- Weak side
- Guard closely
- Oxygen
- No flames
- Choking
- Call for help
STNA vs CNA
STNA
- Ohio title
- State tested
- ODH registry
CNA
- Common title
- Same aide role
- State-specific credential
Ohio name vs generic
Exam Format
- Knowledge
- 79 items90 min
- Knowledge pass
- 70 percent
- Audio exam
- First 59 read
- Reading check
- Last 20 silent
- Skills
- 3 or 4 tasks
- Skill time
- 35 minutes
- Attempts
- Three each
- Results
- Next business evening
Scope vs Nursing
STNA
- Observes changes
- Reports facts
- Assigned care
Nurse
- Assesses condition
- Changes care plan
- Gives meds
Report vs assess
Ohio Rules
- Training
- 75 hours minimum
- Direct-care prep
- 16 hours first
- Clinical
- 16 to 25 hours
- Testing window
- Two years
- Three failures
- Retraining required
- Student work
- Up to 120 days
- Registry listing
- After both pass
- ODH
- State registry
TMU Test Day
- TMU account
- Complete before testing
- Check-in
- 20 to 30 early
- Photo ID
- Government, signed, current
- SS card
- Original required
- Names
- Must match exactly
- Attire
- Full clinical scrubs
- Shoes
- No open toes
- Nails
- Short, clean, kept
Soap Wash
Wet, soap, friction, rinse, towel
WetSoap20 secondsRinseDry towel
Standard vs Transmission
Standard
- Every resident
- Blood fluids
- Hand hygiene
Transmission
- Added PPE
- Isolation signs
- Specific pathogen
Always vs added
Infection Picker
- Visible soil→Soap water(Full wash)
- Body fluids→Gloves(Standard precautions)
- Gown soiled→Remove inward(Avoid contact)
- Clean linen falls→Soiled hamper(Never reuse)
- Skill ends→Hand hygiene(Required habit)
Infection Control
- Hand hygiene
- Best prevention
- Soap wash
- 20 seconds friction
- Fingers
- Point downward
- Faucet
- Dry towel barrier
- Recontamination
- Avoid after washing
- Standard
- Every resident
- Gloves
- Body-fluid risk
- Dirty linen
- Never on floor
- PPE removal
- Dirty side inward
Dementia vs Delirium
Dementia
- Gradual decline
- Routine helps
- Redirect calmly
Delirium
- Sudden confusion
- Report fast
- Medical concern
Gradual vs sudden
Cognitive Care
- Dementia
- Progressive decline
- Delirium
- Sudden confusion
- Validation
- Accept feelings
- Redirection
- Shift attention
- Wandering
- Safety risk
- Sundowning
- Evening confusion
- Routine
- Reduces anxiety
- Hallucination
- Report change
Rapid Report
Sudden, severe, unsafe: report now
ConfusionChest painFallBleeding
Report Picker
- Sudden confusion→Tell nurse(Could be acute)
- Chest pain→Get nurse(Emergency cue)
- Resident refuses→Respect and report(No force)
- Fall occurs→Stay, call nurse(Do not move)
- Abuse suspected→Protect, report(Immediate action)
Communication
- Face resident
- Eye contact
- Open question
- Invites detail
- Closed question
- Specific answer
- Aphasia
- Language problem
- Hearing loss
- Speak clearly
- Objective
- Seen or measured
- Subjective
- Resident says
- SBAR
- Organized nurse report
Weak Side
Dress weak first; undress strong first
Dress weakUndress strongProtect limb
Mobility Picker
- Stand transfer→Gait belt(Check snug)
- Walker ambulation→Stabilize walker(Guard behind)
- Affected side→Dress weak first(Undress strong)
- Bed to chair→Lock brakes(Pivot controlled)
- ROM skill→Support joint(Move gently)
Privacy vs Confidentiality
Privacy
- Curtain closed
- Body draped
- Knock first
Confidentiality
- PHI protected
- Need-to-know
- No hallway talk
Body vs data
Rights Scope
- Dignity
- Respectful address
- Privacy
- Body and information
- Choice
- Resident preference
- Refusal
- Report, do not force
- Confidentiality
- Need-to-know only
- Abuse
- Protect and report
- Neglect
- Unmet care need
- Scope
- Assigned basic care
Disease Aging
- CHF
- Fluid overload risk
- COPD
- Breathing difficulty
- Diabetes
- Foot checks
- Stroke
- Weak side
- DVT
- Leg pain swelling
- UTI
- Confusion possible
- Contracture
- Shortened muscle
- Restorative
- Maintain function
Objective vs Subjective
Objective
- Measured data
- Observed facts
- Chart exactly
Subjective
- Resident says
- Pain report
- Use quotes
Measured vs stated
Common Traps
Current handbook
December 2025 version ≠ Use latest forms
Skill count
Three or four tasks ≠ Not five skills
Handwashing location
Embedded mandatory task ≠ Soap wash at end
Finished statement
Corrections before finished ≠ No later fixes
Verbal shortcuts
Spoken only fails ≠ Actually demonstrate
Audio exam
First 59 read ≠ Last 20 silent
ID trap
Original SS card ≠ Exact name match
Scope trap
STNA reports ≠ Nurse assesses
Last Minute
- 1.Knowledge: 79 questions
- 2.Time: 90 minutes
- 3.Pass: 70 percent
- 4.Skills: 35 minutes
- 5.Tasks: mandatory plus random
- 6.Key steps: miss none
- 7.Non-key: 80 percent each
- 8.Actually demonstrate each step
- 9.Correct before saying finished
- 10.Bring original SS card
- 11.Names must match exactly
- 12.Wear full clinical scrubs
- 13.Training window: two years
- 14.Three attempts each portion
- 15.STNA reports; nurse assesses
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