No. The video will not be exactly like the skills in your state handbook BUT very close. We made the Promissor video following the Promissor handbook in the state of Colorado. Having viewed the Promissor handbook from all the other states where Promissor tests there are only some minor differences. The same is true with the Headmaster video.

When Headmaster was the testing agency in Colorado we made a video following their skills. The Headmaster skills are very similar in each of their testing states.

I have looked at Thomson Prometric, which is the testing agency in several states. Their skills are written very similar to Promissors.

THIS IS THE MAIN POINT TO REMEMBER: No state differs on HOW they make an occupied bed, or help a person with a bedpan, transfer someone from the bed to the wheelchair, take a pulse, bloodpressure or count respiration’s or wash someone, hand, face, foot, etc. Everyone from a C.N.A to a Registered Nurse (RN) is trained to perform these tasks the same way. If your training was a bit different then what you see on the video that is OK. Small variations are to be expected. Small variations do not make your training program wrong or us wrong. The video refreshes you on what you were taught in your training program, how to properly make an occupied bed, use a bedpan and so on. The DIFFERENCES are the small steps that your state skills handbook may want you to perform on your state test. Such as—In some states "wash your hands" is the first step in EACH skill, in some states "wash your hands" is only seen at the end of each skill. Another example of a difference—In some states you need to put a fresh cup of water out for the patient as a last step in every skill. In some states you will lock the wheels on your patients bed other states will not have this step in a skill. That is why we urge you to follow along in your skills handbook and make a note of steps in your state that need to be preformed that may not be on the video. REMEMBER, if you do more (extra steps) on your skills test you will NOT be counted off. You are NEVER penalized for doing more steps then are in your skills handbook.

EXAMPLE: This is one trick I teach my students (after 10 years of teaching the C.N.A. class I know what works). Not every skill requires that you give the patient privacy (pull the privacy curtain or close a door). I know I am going to be nervous on my skills test and the last thing I want to try to remember is IF this skills requires privacy or not SO I am just going to give privacy (pull the curtain or shut the door) for EVERY skill, then I won’t forget it on a skill where it is required. Remember, I can do more steps then are in a skill and NOT be counted off for it. You can use the same strategy for putting on gloves, just put them on for every skill if you want too.

OTHER THINGS TO REMEMBER:

You do not have to perform each step in the EXACT order that it appears in your skills handbook in order to pass the test. Example: When you are doing a partial bed bath. At some point you need to change the patients gown. As long as you get it changed BEFORE you end the skill it does not matter WHEN in the skill you change it. Example: some skills require you put on gloves. As long as you put on the gloves BEFORE you touch the thing the gloves are required for it does NOT matter when you put them on. Some students get so caught up in performing the steps EXACTLY in the order that they are printed that they can’t really focus on performing the steps correctly. You are being graded on weather you do all the steps or not. If you miss a step you are counted off. Again, it is not the strict ORDER that you perform each step RATHER if you preformed each step.

ONE FINAL WORD: The way we perform patient care in the video is in accordance to the RN’s training program. If your training was a bit different then what you see on the video that is OK. Small variations are to be expected. Small variations do not make your training program wrong or us wrong. If you perform the tasks the way we do on the video you will have preformed it correctly. You will have preformed it the way every RN was trained to perform it. The person that will be evaluating your skills test will be a RN.

We wish you good luck in your new career and we bless you for this wonderful work you have chosen to do. Thank you