ExamReady CNAInfection Control
Hand Hygiene
On the NNAAP, hand washing is always one of your five skills. Wash your hands before and after patient contact. Leaving out a critical step fails the skill.
No time limit•10 steps•2 criticalAlways tested
Why this matters
The skill graders test first — and the one you can never miss.
Quick tips
- Hand washing is always one of your five exam skills, so make it automatic.
- Hand washing is performed for real at a sink with running water. Between other skills you may say "Now I would wash my hands."
- Hum Happy Birthday twice to reach 20 seconds.
Common mistakes
- Scrubbing for under 20 seconds. This is a critical step, so you can fail the whole skill.
- Letting hands rise above the elbows or fingertips point up while lathering or rinsing, which sends dirty water back toward your arms.
- Touching or leaning on the inside of the sink, which recontaminates your hands.
- Turning off the tap with bare hands after drying, which puts the dirty handle back on clean skin.