New Brunswick PSW exam practice for the Certificate of Qualification

Question 1 · Personal Care, Mobility and Daily Living

You are helping Mrs. Dubois, an 82‑year‑old patient, with a morning wash. She tells you she feels uneasy because today is the anniversary of a loved one’s death and asks if she can say a short prayer before you continue. What should you do first?

1. A

   Lead the prayer yourself to comfort her before the wash.

   Not this one. Out‑of‑scope: Leading a prayer is a personal religious act, not a PSW duty.

2. B

   Stop the wash, report her emotional upset to the nurse, and wait for further instructions.

   Not this one. Reporting emotional upset before providing the requested support is unnecessary unless safety is threatened.

3. C

   Allow her a moment to pray, then continue the wash and note the request in the chart.

   Correct. Supports the client’s spiritual need while maintaining care flow and documentation.

4. D

   Begin the wash immediately and tell her you will pray later when you finish.

   Not this one. Wrong priority: Ignoring her request may affect her emotional wellbeing.

The PSW can respectfully allow the client a brief prayer, then resume care and document the request. Leading the prayer is outside the PSW role, and stopping care to report before the client’s need is met is not required unless safety is at risk.

Question 2 · Communication, Rights and Professional Practice

You are assisting 34‑year‑old client Mr. Dufour with his daily routine. After a visit, his neighbour, Mrs. Lavoie, asks you, “I heard he was diagnosed with a heart condition. Is he okay? Can I bring him some soup?” You know his diagnosis is private. What should you do first?

1. A

   Ask Mr. Dufour if he wants you to share his health status with the neighbour

   Not this one. Seeking permission is appropriate later, but the neighbour’s request is still a privacy breach; the immediate response must be a refusal.

2. B

   Write down the neighbour’s request and report it to the case manager later

   Not this one. Reporting the request is unnecessary; the key action is to refuse to share information now.

3. C

   Tell Mrs. Lavoie you cannot discuss his health and thank her for the offer

   Correct. Protects client confidentiality as required by PHIPAA.

4. D

   Agree to bring soup and let her know the client’s condition is mild

   Not this one. Shares private health information, violating privacy.

Confidential health information must not be disclosed to anyone without the client’s permission. The appropriate first action is to politely decline to share any details while acknowledging the neighbour’s concern. Offering soup without consent or seeking the client’s permission to share information are not the immediate priority; the PSW must protect privacy first.

Question 3 · Safety, Infection Control and Behaviour Management

A patient with lower limb weakness needs help moving from the bed to a chair. The floor is slightly damp near the doorway and the patient is anxious. How should you perform the transfer to ensure safety?

1. A

   Bend forward from the waist to maintain close eye contact with the anxious patient.

   Not this one. Bending forward from the waist strains lower back muscles and compromises balance.

2. B

   Bend your knees, keep a wide base of support, and use leg muscles to guide the move.

   Correct. Bending knees and using leg muscles protects the worker and ensures a safe transfer.

3. C

   Twist your torso quickly to pivot the patient away from the damp floor area.

   Not this one. Twisting the torso while supporting a weight places dangerous stress on the spine.

4. D

   Lift the patient entirely by your upper arms to clear the damp spot on the floor.

   Not this one. Lifting a patient entirely with upper arms violates safe handling guidelines and risks injury.

Proper body mechanics require bending the knees, maintaining a wide base of support, and using large leg muscles rather than the back. Twisting the torso or bending from the waist risks injury. Lifting a patient entirely with upper arms exceeds safe physical limits.

Question 4 · Service Plans, Reporting and Documentation

During a home support visit, you notice a client is struggling significantly with meal preparation due to worsening arthritis that is not addressed in their current care plan. What should you do?

1. A

   Modify the care plan tasks yourself to include extra cooking time for this visit.

   Not this one. Modifying the care plan yourself exceeds the PSW scope of practice.

2. B

   Wait until your annual performance review to mention the client's declining function.

   Not this one. Waiting until an annual review delays necessary care adjustments and client safety.

3. C

   Advise the client to hire a private nurse to take over their meal preparation.

   Not this one. Advising private hiring steps outside the professional support role.

4. D

   Report the observation verbally to your case manager so the care plan can be reviewed.

   Correct. Reporting changes to the case manager ensures proper care plan updates follow professional review.

PSWs participate in service plans by reporting observed changes to their supervisor or case manager for proper evaluation and plan updates.

Question 5 · Service Plans, Reporting and Documentation

You notice a resident seems agitated and refuses supper. Another staff member tells you the resident is just being difficult. How should you document this event in the resident chart?

1. A

   Record exact quotes and observed physical actions without adding your own labels.

   Correct. Factual and objective documentation reflects actual observations and direct quotes.

2. B

   Write that the resident was being difficult and refused to eat the meal.

   Not this one. Incorrect because it uses subjective labeling rather than describing observable behaviors.

3. C

   Wait until the end of the week to summarize all the behavioral changes together.

   Not this one. Incorrect because documentation must occur promptly, not delayed until the end of the week.

4. D

   Note that the resident likely has a urinary tract infection causing the refusal.

   Not this one. Incorrect because personal medical diagnoses or assumptions exceed the personal support worker role.

Documentation must remain objective, accurate, and factual. Recording exact observations ensures clear communication among the care team without relying on subjective judgments.

Question 6 · Personal Care, Mobility and Daily Living

You are helping an elderly resident with a bed bath in a nursing home. You notice a small reddened area on the resident's heel and dry skin on both legs. What should you do first according to nursing home standards?

1. A

   Massage the reddened heel firmly with non-prescription lotion to improve blood flow.

   Not this one. Massaging a reddened pressure area can cause further tissue damage.

2. B

   Report the reddened heel and dry skin to the nurse immediately and document the findings.

   Correct. Reporting the skin change and dry legs to the nurse follows safety rules and care plan guidelines.

3. C

   Apply non-prescription lotion to the dry legs and gently rub the lotion over the reddened heel.

   Not this one. Applying lotion over a reddened pressure area violates standard skin care protocols.

4. D

   Apply a protective bandage to the heel and continue the bed bath without telling anyone.

   Not this one. Covering the area without reporting fails to communicate a potential pressure injury to the nurse.

Lotion must never be applied to a reddened pressure area, and skin changes must be reported promptly to the nurse. The worker integrates the care plan rule about fragile skin with the reporting duty.

Question 7 · Assistance with Medication

You are assisting a patient in a hospital unit with their breakfast tray. The patient points to their scheduled morning pills and states they feel too nauseated to take them. What should you do?

1. A

   Check the patient chart to see if an anti-nausea medication has been ordered by the physician.

   Not this one. Incorrect because checking the physician's orders in the patient chart is a nursing responsibility.

2. B

   Encourage the patient to swallow the pills with ginger ale to help settle their stomach.

   Not this one. Incorrect because offering remedies or encouraging intake despite nausea involves clinical management.

3. C

   Administer the medication later in the shift once the patient feels slightly better.

   Not this one. Incorrect because deciding to delay medication administration is outside your role.

4. D

   Leave the medication on the tray, do not force intake, and notify the nurse immediately about the nausea.

   Correct. Leaves the medication untouched and promptly informs the nurse of the symptom and refusal.

Personal support workers never decide to withhold, delay, or adjust medications, nor do they assess side effects; you must leave the medication and promptly report the patient's nausea to the nurse.

Question 8 · Assistance with Medication

You visit an elderly client at home to assist with their morning routine. The client points to a new pill in their weekly organizer and says it looks different from usual. What should you do?

1. A

   Crush the pill and mix it with applesauce so the client feels safer swallowing the unfamiliar medication.

   Not this one. Incorrect because crushing medication or altering its form is strictly outside the personal support worker scope.

2. B

   Call the pharmacy directly on behalf of the client to ask if the medication prescription was changed.

   Not this one. Incorrect because contacting the pharmacy directly bypasses the established reporting chain through your case manager.

3. C

   Refuse to assist with that pill, leave it in the organizer, and report your observation immediately to your case manager.

   Correct. Follows home support medication safety rules by refusing to assist with an unverified item and reporting it.

4. D

   Check the medication administration record to verify if the pharmacy changed the pill supplier this week.

   Not this one. Incorrect because checking records to verify medication changes is a nursing or pharmacy duty, not a personal support worker task.

Home support workers do not administer or verify medications; when something is unusual, you do not give it and must report to your case manager immediately. Checking records or calling the pharmacy crosses into nursing or administrative tasks.

Question 9 · Household Management and Nutrition

An elderly patient with dysphagia has a care plan specifying thickened pureed meals. During lunch, the patient coughs and refuses the pureed meat, asking for a regular sandwich instead. What should you do first?

1. A

   Document the food refusal in the chart and leave the room.

   Not this one. This is incorrect because merely charting without notifying the nurse leaves an acute refusal unmanaged.

2. B

   Stop feeding the patient and report the refusal to the nurse.

   Correct. This is correct because stopping prevents aspiration and reporting informs the care team immediately.

3. C

   Cut the sandwich into tiny pieces and feed it slowly to satisfy the patient.

   Not this one. This is incorrect because altering the diet outside the care plan risks choking and exceeds scope.

4. D

   Ask the kitchen staff directly to send up a soft sandwich tray.

   Not this one. This is incorrect because kitchen requests must go through the nurse or clinical team.

You must follow the care plan and report changes or refusals to the nurse without altering diet types. Offering unapproved food or bypassing the nurse violates the safety and scope of practice.

Question 10 · Safety, Infection Control and Behaviour Management

During your shift, 82‑year‑old patient Luis begins walking repeatedly down the hallway, stopping at the medication cart and reaching for the bottles. He looks confused and the cart is on a rolling stand. What should you do first?

1. A

   Gently hold Luis’s shoulders to keep him from reaching the cart.

   Not this one. Physically holding the patient is outside the PSW scope without a written order.

2. B

   Speak calmly, ask Luis to sit, and call the nurse to discuss his safety.

   Correct. Calm verbal redirection addresses the safety risk and follows the non‑violent intervention rule; notifying the nurse ensures ongoing monitoring.

3. C

   Tell Luis he must not touch the medication and raise your voice to stop him.

   Not this one. Raising voice escalates confusion and does not follow the non‑violent approach.

4. D

   Perform hand hygiene before you approach Luis.

   Not this one. Hand hygiene is important but does not address the immediate safety hazard.

The first step is a non‑violent verbal de‑escalation and then notifying the nurse; physical restraint or shouting are unsafe, and hand hygiene is secondary.