Introduction

Handwashing is a fundamental skill for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and is critical for preventing the spread of infections in healthcare settings. This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to the handwashing procedure according to Prometric standards, ensuring you are well-prepared for both your CNA exam and practical applications in your career.

Step 1: Approach the Sink

• Use your unclean hands to turn on the faucet, as it is one of the dirtiest surfaces in the bathroom.
• Adjust the water to a comfortable temperature.

Step 2: Wet Your Hands

• Place your hands under the running water to wet them thoroughly.

Step 3: Apply Soap

• Dispense an adequate amount of soap into your hands.
• Rub your hands together vigorously to create lather.

Step 4: Scrub All Surfaces

• Focus on scrubbing

• • The front and back of your hands.
  • Between your fingers.
  • The tops of your wrists.
• Ensure friction is applied for at least 20 seconds to effectively remove pathogens.

Step 5: Clean Under Nails

• Use your thumb to run down the length of each nail, starting at the cuticle and moving toward the tip of the nail.
• Repeat this for all fingers on both hands.
• Scrub the underside of your nails against your palm to remove debris.

Step 6: Rinse Your Hands

• Position your hands under the running water with your fingertips pointing downward.
• Be careful not to touch the inside of the sink or the faucet while rinsing.

Step 7: Dry Your Hands

• • Tap your fingers together to ensure all water droplets fall into the sink.

• Take paper towels from the dispenser and dry all surfaces of your hands, including

• • Front and back.
  • Between your fingers.
  • Wrists.
• Avoid allowing the paper towels to touch unwashed areas of your lower arms.

Step 8: Turn Off the Faucet

• Use a clean, dry paper towel to turn off the faucet to prevent recontaminating your hands with wet paper towels.
• Dispose of the used paper towels directly into the trash bin.

Conclusion

Proper handwashing is crucial for maintaining hygiene in healthcare settings. Follow these steps to ensure you perform handwashing effectively, both for your Prometric exam and in your professional practice. Regular practice of this technique will help you avoid common mistakes and reinforce your commitment to infection control. For further resources and practice materials, consider exploring additional materials available on the 4YourCNA website.