Choose a Study Topic
Browse the CCA study guides below to review important topics and prepare for your Nova Scotia CCA exam. The guides are generally ordered by study priority, with higher-priority topics appearing first. You can start at the top and work your way through the list, or jump to a topic you want to review.
Use these guides to reinforce what you learn in class, review key concepts, and spot areas that need more study. All topics are worth reviewing. Always use your approved course materials and instructor guidance as your primary study resources.
Core Personal Care Skills
Hygiene, grooming, skin care, comfort, vital signs, elimination, oxygenation, and heat or cold applications.
Everyday Personal Care and Bathing Support
Hair, Shaving, and Personal Grooming
Clothing, Stockings, and Dressing Support
Recognizing Skin Damage and Pressure Injuries
Wound Healing, Dressings, and Observations
Comfort, Pain Support, Rest, and Sleep
Height, Weight, and Vital Signs
Temperature, Pulse, Breathing, and Blood Pressure
Toileting, Urinary Observation, and Incontinence
Catheters, Urine Tests, and Diversion Care
Bowel Observation and Regularity
Rectal Care, Ostomy Care, and Specimens
Breathing Needs and Oxygen Therapy
- Factors Affecting Oxygen Needs
- Altered Respiratory Function
- Promoting Oxygenation
- Assisting With Oxygen Therapy
- Assisting With Assessment and Diagnostic Testing
Airways, Ventilation, and Chest Tubes
- Artificial Airways
- Suctioning an Airway
- Mechanical Ventilation
- Chest Tubes
Using Warmth and Cold Safely in Client Care
- Heat Applications
- Cold Applications
Safe Mobility, Positioning, and Restorative Care
Body mechanics, transfers, exercise, rehabilitation, restorative care, and bed making.
Safe Movement, Lifting, Positioning, and Transfers
Mobility, Exercise, and the Effects of Inactivity
Rehabilitation Goals and Services
Working With the Rehabilitation Team
Client Beds, Linens, and Bed-Making Skills
Medication Safety and Support
The support worker’s role, medication safety, documentation, labels, math, and error reporting.
Medication Basics and Support Worker Scope
- Scope of Practice: The Support Worker’s Role
- How Medications Work in the Body
- Types of Medications
- Performing Simple Medication Math
Medication Safety, Records, and Reporting
- Documentation
- The 10 “Rights” of Medication Management
- Medication Labelling Requirements
- Reporting Medication Errors
Body Systems, Diseases, and Medical Terms
Medical words, body structure, body systems, and common diseases and disorders.
Understanding Common Medical Words and Abbreviations
Body Organization, Skin, and Movement
Brain, Senses, and Hormone Regulation
Circulation, Breathing, and Immunity
Digestion, Urination, and Reproduction
Infection, Cancer, and Skin Conditions
Movement, Brain, and Hormone Conditions
Heart and Lung Conditions
Digestive, Urinary, and Reproductive Conditions
Nutrition, Fluids, and Feeding Support
Nutrition, hydration, meal support, special diets, enteral nutrition, and intravenous therapy.
Nutrients and Everyday Food Choices
Food Labels, Caffeine, and Food Safety
Special Diets, Eating Assistance, and Fluids
Tube Feeding, IV Therapy, and Nutrition Support
Mental Health, Delirium, and Dementia
Mental health disorders, disorientation, delirium, dementia, and responsive behaviours.
Mental Health Foundations and Brain Injury
Anxiety, Mood, and Compulsive Disorders
Psychosis, Personality, and Behavioural Disorders
Eating, Sleep, and Substance-Related Conditions
Self-Harm and Suicide Risk Support
Confusion, Disorientation, and Delirium
Recognizing Dementia Types and Causes
Dementia Progression and Changes in Mood
Dementia Care, Behaviour, and Family Support
Infection Control and Safety
Preventing infection, using precautions, reducing accident risks, and supporting safety.
How Infections Spread
Hand Hygiene, Isolation, and Sterile Practice
Preventing Falls and Everyday Accidents
Responding to Poisoning, Burns, and Emergencies
Restraints, Hazardous Materials, and Worker Safety
Care Planning, Reporting, and Documentation
Care plans, verbal reports, records, charts, and the support worker’s documentation role.
Care Plans, Observations, Reports, and Documentation
Communication, Teamwork, and Family Support
Professional communication, teamwork, supervision, delegation, clients, and families.
Everyday Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
Communication Barriers and Difficult Conversations
Teaching Clients and Dementia Communication
Teamwork, Supervision, and Delegated Care
Supporting Clients, Families, and Caregivers
Rights, Ethics, Scope, and Abuse Reporting
The support worker role, ethics, legal rights, role limits, abuse, bullying, and reporting duties.
Support Worker Roles, Duties, and Professional Practice
Ethical Practice and Professional Values
Rights, Laws, and Legal Responsibilities in Care
Recognizing Abuse, Bullying, and Risk
- Abuse, Client Rights, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Types of Abuse, Bullying, and Cyberbullying
- Abusive Relationships, Risk Factors, and People at Highest Risk for Abuse
- Recognizing Signs of Abuse and Understanding Spousal Abuse
- Cycle of Abuse, Child Abuse, Older Person Abuse, and Client Abuse
Responding, Reporting, and Worker Protection
End-of-Life and Palliative Care
Palliative care, dying, grief, legal issues, and signs of death.
End-of-Life Care and Comfort
- Life-Threatening Conditions
- Attitudes Toward Death and Dying
- Caring for a Client Who Is Dying
- Palliative Care
Legal Issues, Grief, and Signs of Death
- Legal Issues Surrounding Death and Dying
- Grief
- Signs of Death
Older Adult Care
Physical, emotional, social, and sexual changes that affect older adults.
Supporting Older Adults and Age-Related Changes
- Caring for Older Clients
- Emotional and Social Changes
- Depression in Older Persons
- Physical Changes
- The Older Person and Sexuality
Home Support and Household Safety
Home management, organization, cleaning, laundry, supplies, and safe household practices.
Home Routines, Equipment, and Organization
- The Support Worker’s Role in Home Management
- Getting Organized
- Equipment and Supplies
- Performing Tasks Not Included on the Client’s Care Plan
Cleaning, Laundry, and Household Safety
- Using Cleaning Products Safely
- Cleaning Bedrooms, Living Rooms, Kitchens, and Bathrooms
- Doing Laundry
- Recycling Items and Composting
Growth and Development
Human growth, development principles, and selected developmental theories.
Human Development Across the Lifespan
Hearing, Vision, and Sensory Support
Hearing and vision disorders, communication support, and service dogs.
Supporting Clients With Hearing or Vision Changes
Wellness, Culture, and Self-Care
Health, illness, disability, culture, diversity, stress, decisions, and conflict.
Understanding Health, Illness, Wellness, and Disability
Culture, Diversity, and Respectful Care
Stress, Coping, and Workplace Well-Being
Health Care System and Work Settings
Canada’s health care system, provincial roles, workplace settings, and available services.
How Health Care Is Organized in Canada
Where Support and Continuing Care Are Provided
Special Populations and Acute Care
Speech and language disorders, developmental disabilities, and acute-care support.
Types of Speech and Language Disorders
Communication Aids and Client Support
Supporting People With Developmental Disabilities
Supporting Clients in Hospitals and Acute-Care Settings
- Supporting the Client During Transitions
- Assisting With Physical Examinations
- Preparing the Client for a Physical Exam
- Supporting the Client Who Is Having Surgery
Skim Last, But Do Not Skip
Career preparation, infants, birth parents, children, teens, nutrition, behaviour, and infection prevention.
Planning Your Job Search
Applications, Interviews, and Job Offers
Supporting Babies and New Parents
- Caring for New Birth Parents
- Caring for Infants
Infant and Child Care
- Supporting the Infant, Child, or Teen
- Assisting Infants and Children to Meet Nutritional Needs
- Reye’s Syndrome
Behaviour and Infection Prevention for Children
- Discipline
- Supporting the Child Who Demonstrates Challenging Behaviours
- Preventing Infections