Specific Competencies and Skills Tested in this Assessment:
First Aid and General Safety
- Recognize and demonstrate appropriate first aid and emergency techniques
- Differentiate signs and symptoms requiring emergency care
- Recognize and demonstrate fire safety and general safety procedures involved in patient care
- Recognize and demonstrate appropriate procedures for handling waste and hazardous materials
- Recognize signs, symptoms, and reporting mandates for violent or abusive situations
- Recognize and demonstrate infection control measures, including standard precautions, hand washing techniques, isolation, and personal protective equipment (PPE)
Medical Terminology
- Identify and interpret word prefixes and suffixes
- Identify and interpret combining forms
- Identify and interpret approved medical abbreviations and acronyms
- Identify and differentiate various medical and surgical definitions and conditions
Body Systems
- Identify and interpret anatomical terms, including cavities
- Recognize abnormal structures, functions, signs, and symptoms within body systems
Observation and Communication
- Recognize and practice professional patient and staff communications
- Recognize and report abnormal assessment findings (e.g., subjective and objective findings)
- Recognize and respect cultural diversity
- Recognize and provide care for all stages of growth and development
Documentation and Legal Issues of the Health Assisting Profession
- Identify legal and ethical issues of concern for a health assistant
- Demonstrate understanding of confidentiality, HIPAA regulations, professional behaviors, guidelines, and legal practices of a health assistant
- Identify policies and procedures available for reporting legal/ethical concerns and issues
- Demonstrate accurate documentation procedures
Health Assisting Skills
- Accurately measure and record vital signs, height, weight, and pain
- Demonstrate proper body mechanics, including those during patient transfer, positioning, lifting, and moving
- Assist with elimination needs (e.g., bowel and bladder)
- Assist with obtaining body fluid specimens
- Assist with personal care and hygiene
- Obtain and accurately measure patient intake and output (I&O)
- Assist with patient nutritional needs
- Assist with, observe, and report patient skin care conditions
- Demonstrate accurate filing techniques for patient records
- Identify and utilize appropriate procedures for cleaning equipment
Written Assessment:
Administration Time: 3 hours
Number of Questions: 163
Areas Covered:
First Aid and General: 19%
Medical Terminology: 12%
Body Systems: 19%
Observation and Communication: 12%
Documentation and Legal Issues of the Health Assisting Profession: 15%
Health Assistant Skills: 23%
Sample Questions:
First aid for a patient with heat exhaustion requires
A. submerging the patient in an ice bath
B. loosening or removing excessive clothing
C. covering the patient with blankets
D. offering sips of warm water at frequent intervals
A health assistant may suspect child abuse when
A. the child has a few bruises on his or her shins
B. a young child will not talk to healthcare personnel
C. the child has broken an arm while playing football
D. two different stories are given for an injury
In surgery, the suffix that means “the creation of an artificial opening” is
A. otomy
B. oscopy
C. ectomy
D. ostomy
The stomach is located in which body system
A. cardiovascular
B. gastrointestinal
C. endocrine
D. reproductive
The type of muscle tissue found in the internal organs of the body is
A. cardiac
B. smooth
C. skeletal
D. excitable
Performance Assessment:
Administration Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Number of Jobs: 4
Areas Covered:
29% Hand Washing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Participant will gather equipment, maintain a clean technique, demonstrate correct hand washing technique, put on cover gown, mask, and gloves, then remove gloves, gown, and mask all in the correct order, correctly wash hands, and clean work area.
29% Change a Patient Gown
Participant will identify the patient, introduce self and explain procedure, retrieve clean gown, verbalize the need for hand washing prior to beginning of procedure, provide privacy for the patient, remove soiled gown, dispose of soiled gown properly, apply the clean gown, position patient for safety and comfort, and verbalize the need for hand washing after procedure.
29% Measure Vital Signs, Height and Weight
Participant will gather equipment, identify patient and explain procedures, verbalize hand washing, accurately take pulse, respirations, blood pressure, height, and weight, clean work area and check patient for comfort and safety.
13% Transfer Patient from Bed to Wheelchair
Participant will use correct body mechanics to transfer patient with left-sided weakness from bed to wheelchair, and from wheelchair to bed.
Sample Job:
Transfer Patient from Bed to Wheelchair
Maximum Time: 15 minutes
Participant Activity: The participant will demonstrate the proper procedure for transferring a patient with left-sided weakness. Participant will use a gait belt to transfer the patient from a bed to a wheelchair, and from the wheelchair back to the bed.