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CNA Skill Dressing a Resident

The CNA skill of dressing a resident properly will likely be on the CNA skills exam. Using the right procedure in safely dressing a resident is an important skill and is a common day to day task of a CNA. Properly performing the CNA of skill dressing a resident will be a part of the skills test in many states.  . 

To learn all the necessary steps for this skill, please watch this CNA Skills Dressing a Resident for a complete demonstration of the skill. 

CNA Skill – Dressing a Resident

The process for dressing a resident during the CNA skills exam is as follows:

  1. Perform the standard CNA beginning tasks. Knock before entering the patient’s room, greet the patient by name, introduce yourself, explain the task you are about to perform, close the privacy curtain, and wash your hands. . 
  2. Check the bed brakes to ensure that they are secured.
  3. Cover the resident with blanket to keep them warm and keep the resident covered during the dressing process.
  4. Remove the resident’s gown.
  5. On one side of the resident, insert your hand in through the sleeve of the shirt or blouse that you are dressing the resident with and hold the resident’s hand. 
  6. Lift the resident’s leg up and turn them over towards you to place the rest of the shirt or blouse on. 
  7. Repeat on the resident’s other side, always be sure to roll the resident towards you. Button the shirt or blouse of the resident.
  8. Moving onto the pants, select a pant leg and pull your hand all the way through it.
  9. Place foot through pant leg, repeat on other side. 
  10. Move pants up through to the resident’s waist, asking the resident to bend their knee for each leg to help over the pants up the resident.
  11. Turn the resident on their side and roll them towards you to move the rest of the pants onto the resident’s hip and waist.  
  12. Repeat on the other side. 
  13. Place resident’s socks on, making sure to draw the sock up the foot until the sock is smooth on the resident’s foot. 
  14. Perform your standard completion tasks – wash your hands, ensure the patient has a clean environment, ask if they are comfortable, give them their call light and close their privacy curtain.

* Please be sure to consult the testing materials provided by the skills test provider in your state to ensure that these steps for CNA Skill Dressing a resident are in compliance. The procedure in different states and from different test providers can vary slightly and greatly affect your score.