Top 10 Skills You’ll Master in CNA Training in Orlando

Skills That Shape a Career—and Save Lives

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are the lifeblood of patient care. In a city like Orlando, where top-tier hospitals and long-term care facilities run at full pace, CNAs are expected to be competent, compassionate, and quick on their feet.

That’s why CNA training in Orlando isn’t just about passing a test—it’s about mastering real-world skills that make you valuable on Day 1.

At Gabriel Health Institute (GHI), we’ve trained over 15,000 CNAs using a proven curriculum designed for both our Fast-Track CNA Exam Prep Program and our State-Approved 120-Hour CNA Course. In this post, you’ll discover the 10 essential CNA skills you’ll walk away with—skills that employers love and patients depend on.

Whether you're on the express path or the in-depth course, these are the skills that will shape your success.

📑 Index

1. Hand Hygiene & Infection Control

2. Measuring and Recording Vital Signs

3. Assisting with Ambulation and Transfers

4. Providing Personal Hygiene and Grooming

5. Safe Feeding and Nutritional Support

6. Bed Making and Comfort Measures

7. Assisting with Elimination & Catheter Care

8. Communication, Documentation & Patient Rights

9. Recognizing Emergencies & Reporting Changes

10. Emotional Presence & Patient Dignity

1. Hand Hygiene & Infection Control

Before anything else, you’ll learn how to prevent the spread of infection, especially in post-COVID healthcare settings.

You’ll learn:

• Proper handwashing technique (state-tested skill #1)

• How to don PPE (gown, gloves, mask)

• When to isolate, and how to maintain clean environments

➡️ Why it matters: Proper hygiene saves lives. A CNA’s ability to prevent cross-contamination is essential in hospitals and nursing homes alike.

120-Hour Course: Goes deeper into transmission-based precautions and facility-wide infection policies.
Exam Prep: Focuses on mastering handwashing and PPE technique to pass the clinical skills exam.

2. Measuring and Recording Vital Signs

CNA students are taught how to assess and record a patient’s:

• Blood pressure (manual cuff + stethoscope)

• Pulse rate

• Respiratory rate

• Temperature

At GHI, we emphasize both manual and digital methods, preparing students for any equipment environment.

➡️ Why it matters: Early detection of irregular vitals can prevent hospitalizations and even death.

120-Hour Course: Includes charting exercises and mock documentation.
Exam Prep: Focuses on accurately measuring and recording values to state standards.

3. Assisting with Ambulation and Transfers

You’ll learn how to safely move patients from bed to wheelchair, assist them while walking, and prevent falls using gait belts and good body mechanics.

Key skills:

• Use of transfer belts

• Pivot transfers

• Ambulating with or without walkers

➡️ Why it matters: CNAs are responsible for most patient mobility—and injuries to CNAs and patients often occur during transfers.

120-Hour Course: Includes mobility scenarios with real patients during clinical externships.
Exam Prep: Teaches required procedures to pass the ambulation portion of the exam.

4. Providing Personal Hygiene and Grooming

You’ll become proficient in helping with:

• Bed baths

• Oral care (including dentures)

• Hair, nail, and skin care

• Shaving with safety razors

This skill not only keeps patients clean, but maintains their dignity and emotional well-being.

➡️ Why it matters: Many patients depend on CNAs for basic human dignity, especially in long-term care.

120-Hour Course: Includes lecture discussion on psychological impact of hygiene.
Exam Prep: Drills the technique to pass state demonstration of personal care.

5. Safe Feeding and Nutritional Support

You’ll learn how to assist patients during meals, including:

• Feeding techniques

• Monitoring food intake

• Recognizing swallowing issues

• Proper positioning for feeding

You’ll also review diet types (mechanical soft, puree, thickened liquids) and fluid balance.

➡️ Why it matters: Malnutrition and dehydration are serious risks for immobile or cognitively impaired patients.

120-Hour Course: Covers the science of nutrition, feeding assistance ethics, and more.
Exam Prep: Focuses on the state-tested feeding skill, including bite size, cueing, and documentation.

6. Bed Making and Comfort Measures

Even a task as simple as making a bed has life-saving importance when done by a CNA.

You’ll learn:

• How to change linens with a patient in bed

• Pressure relief positioning

• Comfort techniques (pillows, padding, etc.)

➡️ Why it matters: Poor bedding can lead to bedsores, infections, and falls.

120-Hour Course: Adds training in repositioning immobile patients and comfort care.
Exam Prep: Teaches hospital corners, infection control, and wrinkle-free sheet changes.

7. Assisting with Elimination & Catheter Care

This includes:

• Helping patients to the bathroom or with bedpans

• Changing adult briefs

• Catheter care

• Cleaning perineal areas properly and respectfully

➡️ Why it matters: Improper care here can cause UTIs, embarrassment, and serious infections.

120-Hour Course: Includes scenarios and externship rotations with real patients.
Exam Prep: Covers the exact perineal care and catheter skill for the CNA state exam.

8. Communication, Documentation & Patient Rights

This is where knowledge meets empathy.

You’ll learn how to:

• Communicate with nurses, patients, and families

• Report changes in condition

• Accurately chart care

• Uphold patient confidentiality and rights

➡️ Why it matters: CNAs are often the first to notice subtle changes in a patient’s condition.

120-Hour Course: Offers deeper training on HIPAA, end-of-life rights, and abuse prevention.
Exam Prep: Reinforces the correct communication format for test scenarios.

9. Recognizing Emergencies & Reporting Changes

You’re not a nurse, but you’re the first responder when something goes wrong.

You’ll learn to:

• Identify early warning signs of stroke, sepsis, falls

• Activate emergency protocols

• Provide basic CPR and first aid (certification included at GHI)

➡️ Why it matters: Your vigilance can literally save a life before a nurse or doctor arrives.

120-Hour Course: Includes training on when to escalate and who to contact.
Exam Prep: Covers indirect care principles and emergency awareness.

10. Emotional Presence & Patient Dignity

This isn’t a skill listed on the state checklist—but at GHI, it’s one of the most important.

You’ll learn how to:

• Maintain composure with difficult patients

• Provide care with compassion and patience

• Be present, not just productive

➡️ Why it matters: Being a CNA means connecting with people—especially those at their most vulnerable.

120-Hour Course: We train for emotional resilience, compassion fatigue, and bedside presence.
Exam Prep: Our instructors teach you how to show care even during fast-paced skills checkoffs.

🎓 Final Thoughts: These Skills Are Your New Superpowers

Becoming a CNA is not just about learning tasks—it’s about transforming into a reliable, respected healthcare professional. These top 10 skills aren’t just part of a checklist; they are what define excellence in the field.

At Gabriel Health Institute, our goal is to ensure every graduate is not only ready for the exam—but also prepared for real-world healthcare environments.

Whether you choose our Fast-Track CNA Exam Prep program or our 120-Hour State Approved CNA Course, you’ll graduate with the confidence, skills, and purpose to thrive.

📍 GHI is both a Florida State Approved CNA School and a Regional Exam Site for the Florida CNA State Exam, located right here in Orlando.

📞 Ready to learn more? Speak to one of our admissions officers today and discover which program is the right fit for your goals.

🔑 Target SEO Keywords

• CNA Training in Orlando

• CNA Skills Training Orlando

• What do you learn in CNA training

• Certified Nursing Assistant skills

• Florida CNA programs

• CNA school Orlando

• CNA exam skills checklist

🔍 LSI Keywords

• CNA duties

• CNA test prep

• nursing assistant training Orlando

• patient care techniques

• perineal care CNA

• oral care for patients

• mobility skills CNA

• communication in healthcare settings