🧰 Skills Practice Guide

Gather supplies from home & practice each skill before your Virtual Testing Class

📨 What to Send Kathy BEFORE Your Skills Class

Before scheduling your Virtual Testing Class, please send Nurse Kathy a text or email with the following:

  1. Your full legal name and best phone number
  2. A photo of your picture ID (driver's license or government-issued photo ID)
  3. A copy of your QMAP Prep course completion from Train.org
  4. Confirmation that you have completed all 7 modules, the homework, and the final test
  5. A photo of your supplies laid out on a clean flat surface — so Kathy can confirm you have everything you need before the session
  6. Two or three available dates and times for your Virtual Testing Class (Kathy will confirm which works best)
  7. The device you will use for the video call (phone, tablet, or laptop) and whether you have a way to prop it up so your hands are visible
📞 Text: 303-906-1643 ✉️ kathy@anchorcareconsulting.com
📋 About the Supplies: Everything on this list can be found around your home. You do not need to buy anything special. Practice going through each skill's steps out loud before class — Nurse Kathy will ask you to walk through them during the live session. Have your supplies laid out on a clean flat surface with your camera pointed so she can see your hands.
🛒

Master Supply Checklist — Gather Everything Once

🧤 Basics

  • One pair of disposable gloves For the glove demonstration
  • Sink, liquid soap, and paper towels
  • Hand lotion, Vaseline, or chapstick Hand washing and topical skill
  • Small trash bag or wastebasket
  • Tissues and cotton balls
  • Gauze, clean cloth, or paper towel
  • One sheet of paper for your pretend MAR
  • Pen (blue or black ink)
  • Permanent marker

📱 For the Video Call

  • Phone, tablet, or laptop with a camera
  • A way to prop it up so your hands are visible

💊 Practice Medications & Tools

  • A handful of M&Ms, Tic Tacs, Skittles, or vitamins Practice pills
  • A small mint or breath strip Sublingual tablet
  • Small cups or bottle caps Medicine cups
  • Glass of water
  • Measuring spoon or medicine cup, plus juice or water as the liquid
  • Dropper bottle with water Ear drops (saline eye drops work for the eye skill)
  • Saline nasal spray or small spray bottle
  • Empty spray bottle or deodorant can Inhaler
  • Bandage or piece of tape Transdermal patch
  • Small container with a lid Disposal container
Your checkmarks are saved on this device.
🤲

Hand Washing

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Kitchen or bathroom sink with running water
  • Any liquid hand soap or dish soap
  • Paper towels Or a clean towel — paper preferred
  • Hand lotion Any lotion from home is fine

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Turn on warm running water
  2. Wet hands completely
  3. Apply soap
  4. Scrub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds — palms, backs of hands, between fingers, under nails
  5. Rinse thoroughly under running water
  6. Dry with paper towel
  7. Use paper towel to turn off faucet Do not touch the faucet with clean hands
  8. Apply hand lotion to prevent skin cracking
🧤

Putting On & Removing Gloves (PPE)

✅ What You Need From Home

  • One pair of disposable gloves — any size that fits Dollar store, hardware store, or kitchen gloves work. You demonstrate gloves once; for the other skills, just say out loud when you would put them on.
  • Small trash bag or wastebasket For proper disposal

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands before putting on gloves
  2. Select correct glove size — inspect for holes or tears
  3. Pull gloves on firmly — no gaps at the wrists
  4. To remove: grasp the outside of one glove with your opposite gloved hand
  5. Peel glove off inside-out — hold it in your still-gloved hand
  6. Slide ungloved fingers under the wrist of the remaining glove
  7. Peel it off inside-out, enclosing the first glove inside Outside of gloves is contaminated — never touch it with bare hands
  8. Dispose of both gloves immediately
  9. Wash hands immediately after removing gloves
💊

Oral Medication Administration (Tablets & Capsules)

✅ What You Need From Home

  • M&Ms, Tic Tacs, Skittles, or vitamins These are your "practice pills"
  • Small cup or bottle cap Your "medicine cup" — a shot glass or small cup lid works great
  • Glass of water For the "resident" to swallow with
  • A piece of paper with a pretend MAR Draw columns: Resident Name, Medication, Dose, Route, Time, Initial. You'll use this one sheet for every skill.
  • Pen (blue or black ink)

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands
  2. Check the MAR — verify the right resident, right medication, right dose, right time, right route
  3. Check the medication label 3 times: when you take it out, when you pour it, when you put it away
  4. Pour pills into medicine cup — do not touch pills with bare hands
  5. Bring medication and water to the resident
  6. Identify the resident by name
  7. Explain what the medication is and what it is for
  8. Watch resident take the medication — do not leave until swallowed
  9. Document on MAR immediately — time, your initials Never document before the resident takes the medication
  10. Wash hands
🧪

Liquid Medication Administration

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Measuring spoon (teaspoon) or medicine cup A kitchen measuring spoon works perfectly
  • Any liquid from home — juice, water, or syrup Your "liquid medication"
  • Small cup or bottle for the "medication bottle"

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands
  2. Check MAR — 5 rights
  3. Shake bottle if it is a suspension (cloudy liquids must always be shaken)
  4. Hold measuring cup at eye level
  5. Pour to the correct measurement — read at the bottom of the meniscus
  6. Do not mix different liquid medications together
  7. Bring to resident, identify resident
  8. Administer — watch resident take it
  9. Document immediately on MAR
  10. Wash hands
👁️

Eye Drops

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Saline eye drops from drugstore About $3 — or use a small dropper bottle with water for practice
  • Tissues or cotton balls

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves
  2. Have resident tilt head back or lie down
  3. Ask resident to look up
  4. Gently pull lower eyelid down to form a small pocket
  5. Hold dropper above the eye — do not touch the eye or eyelid with the dropper tip Touching the tip contaminates the bottle
  6. Instill the prescribed number of drops into the pocket
  7. Release eyelid — ask resident to close eye gently
  8. Wipe away any excess with a clean tissue — wipe outward from inner corner
  9. Repeat for other eye if ordered — use fresh tissue
  10. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR
👂

Ear Drops

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Small dropper bottle filled with water Any dropper bottle works — nose spray bottle rinsed out is fine
  • Cotton ball

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves
  2. Warm drops slightly by holding bottle in your hands for a few minutes Cold drops cause dizziness
  3. Have resident tilt head to the side with affected ear up
  4. Gently pull outer ear up and back (adults) to straighten the canal
  5. Hold dropper at opening of ear canal — do not insert into canal
  6. Instill prescribed number of drops
  7. Keep head tilted for 1–2 minutes
  8. Place cotton ball gently at opening if ordered
  9. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR
👃

Nasal Drops or Spray

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Saline nasal spray Available at any drugstore for ~$3, or use a small spray bottle with water
  • Tissues

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves
  2. Have resident gently blow nose to clear passages
  3. Have resident tilt head back slightly
  4. Insert tip of spray bottle just inside one nostril
  5. Ask resident to breathe in gently through the nose as you spray
  6. Repeat in other nostril if ordered
  7. Do not share nasal spray between residents Each resident must have their own bottle
  8. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR
🩹

Topical Cream or Ointment

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Any hand lotion, Vaseline, or chapstick This is your "topical medication"
  • Gauze or clean cloth Paper towel works fine

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves
  2. Check MAR — location, amount, frequency
  3. Clean the area before applying if ordered
  4. Apply the correct amount per the order (thin layer, thick layer, specific area)
  5. Do not apply with bare hands Always wear gloves — medication absorbs through your skin too
  6. Cover with dressing if ordered
  7. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR
🔲

Transdermal Patch

✅ What You Need From Home

  • A bandage or piece of tape Represents the transdermal patch
  • Small container with a lid Coffee can, jar, or any container — represents sharps container for disposal
  • Permanent marker To write the date and time on the patch

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves Always wear gloves — patch medication absorbs through your skin
  2. Remove old patch first — fold it in half sticky-side in
  3. Dispose of old patch in sharps container Never in the trash, toilet, or kitty litter
  4. Clean the skin where the old patch was
  5. Rotate site — never apply new patch to same spot
  6. Open new patch packaging
  7. Apply to clean, dry, hairless skin — press firmly for 30 seconds
  8. Write date and time applied on the patch with a marker
  9. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR
👅

Sublingual Medication (Under the Tongue)

✅ What You Need From Home

  • A small mint or thin breath strip Your "sublingual tablet" — it dissolves under the tongue just like a real SL med
  • Cup of water Resident should not eat or drink for several minutes after

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves
  2. Check MAR — 5 rights
  3. Check medication label 3 times
  4. Remove tablet from packaging — do not crush or cut SL tablets Sublingual tablets must be placed whole under the tongue to work
  5. Identify the resident by name
  6. Ask resident to lift their tongue
  7. Place tablet under the tongue
  8. Instruct resident to keep tongue down and let the tablet dissolve completely Resident must NOT swallow, chew, or eat/drink until tablet has fully dissolved
  9. Stay with the resident until the tablet has dissolved
  10. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR immediately
💨

Inhaler

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Any small spray bottle or empty deodorant can Just go through the motions — you do not need a real inhaler

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Wash hands and put on gloves
  2. Shake the inhaler well
  3. Have resident sit upright if possible
  4. Have resident exhale fully first
  5. Place inhaler mouthpiece to resident's lips or in front of open mouth
  6. Activate inhaler as resident inhales slowly and deeply
  7. Instruct resident to hold breath for 10 seconds if able
  8. Wait 1 minute before a second puff if ordered
  9. Have resident rinse mouth with water if using a steroid inhaler
  10. Remove gloves, wash hands, document on MAR
🔐

Controlled Substances — Talk-Through Only

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Nothing. You won't demonstrate this skill; Nurse Kathy will ask you to explain it out loud.

📋 Be Ready to Explain

  1. Controlled substances are kept locked at all times, and the cabinet is never left open or unattended
  2. The count is done by two people at shift change, and both sign the count sheet
  3. Before giving a dose, check the MAR for the 5 rights and remove only the exact prescribed dose
  4. Record the dose on the count sheet and the MAR, with the new count
  5. A refused or dropped dose is wasted in front of a witness, and both sign
  6. Any count that doesn't match is reported to your supervisor right away Never "fix" a count yourself
📋

Documentation on the MAR

✅ What You Need From Home

  • Your pretend MAR and pen from the Oral Medication skill Use the same sheet for every skill. Nurse Kathy will also provide a sample.

📋 Steps to Demonstrate

  1. Document immediately after giving medication Never document before — never document for someone else
  2. Write the date and exact time given
  3. Initial the correct box
  4. If medication was refused — circle your initials and write a note
  5. If medication was held or not given — document the reason
  6. Never use white-out — draw a single line through errors, write "error," and initial
  7. If you made a medication error — document it, report to supervisor, complete incident report
✅ You Are Ready When: You can talk through each skill's steps out loud without looking at notes, your supplies are laid out and on camera, and you have already sent Nurse Kathy your confirmation text or email with a photo of your setup. Nurse Kathy will guide you through the live demonstration during your Virtual Testing Class — this guide is your practice tool to get there.
⚠️ Don't Forget: Send These to Kathy First

Nurse Kathy needs to receive the following before she will schedule your Virtual Testing Class:

  • Your full name and best callback number
  • A photo of your picture ID (driver's license or government-issued photo ID)
  • A copy of your QMAP Prep course completion from Train.org
  • Confirmation that you have completed all 7 modules, homework, and the final test
  • A photo of your supplies laid out on a clean flat surface (see list above)
  • Two or three available dates and times you can meet on video
  • The device you'll use for the video call and how you plan to prop it up so your hands are visible
📞 Text: 303-906-1643 ✉️ kathy@anchorcareconsulting.com