CNA Scope of Practice, Ethics, and Legal Responsibilities

A collection of vocabulary flashcards derived from the CNA lecture, focusing on legal obligations, resident rights, definitions of abuse, and scope of practice.

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Routine personal care tasks performed for a patient or resident that fall within a CNA's scope of practice, distinct from clinical tasks like inserting catheters or administering tube feedings.

Clinical Watch Requirements

A required timepiece for clinical practice that must feature a face with numbers, moving arms, and a secondhand.

Joint Commission (JCO)

An independent federal-level organization that conducts surveys and inspections of healthcare facilities.

Required CNA Training Hours

The mandatory 75 hours of instructional training required for nursing assistants within the program.

Abuse

An intentional action that results in harm or injury to a resident or patient.

Neglect

The failure to provide necessary care or services to a resident, often indicated by signs such as dirty fingernails or unchanged briefs.

Assault

The threat or expressed intention to cause harm to a resident.

Battery

The actual physical act or action of causing harm to a resident.

Defamation

Making statements about a person that negatively impact their reputation and alter how others view them.

Breach of Confidentiality

Unlawfully sharing or posting a resident's private health information or medical diagnosis without proper authorization.

Right of Refusal

The resident's legal entitlement to decline care or treatment, which care providers must respect and subsequently report or chart according to facility policy.

CYA

An acronym standing for 'cover your ass,' highlighting the essential practice of accurate and thorough charting to maintain legal protection.

Director of Nursing (DON)

The administrator in the facility chain of command to whom abuse must be reported if the charge nurse is the individual committing the abuse.

Abuse Reporting Timelines

The requirement to report suspected abuse within 24 hours according to law and policy, or within 2 hours if the abuse was directly witnessed.

False Documentation

A serious legal and ethical violation involving recording that care or service was rendered when it was not actually provided.

Dignity

The core ethical principle of treating every resident with compassion, privacy, and respect regardless of personal opinions or differences.