Safety & Infection Control
Infection Control and PPE
Applying standard precautions, selecting the correct personal protective equipment, and following proper asepsis technique — a Safety & Infection Control task relevant to nearly every patient interaction.
Note:the CCMA exam has no hands-on or oral evaluation component — this guide describes the real on-the-job task so you understand the knowledge the written exam tests, not a skills test you'll be scored on in person.
Step-by-Step Procedure
- 1
Perform hand hygiene before and after every patient contact, before donning gloves, and after removing gloves — gloves are not a substitute for handwashing.
- 2
Assess the task and select the correct PPE level: gloves alone for most routine contact, gown and gloves for contact precautions, a surgical mask for droplet precautions, and an N95/respirator plus eye protection for airborne precautions.
- 3
Don PPE in the correct order (gown, mask/respirator, goggles/face shield, gloves) and doff in the correct order (gloves, goggles/face shield, gown, mask/respirator), performing hand hygiene between removal steps.
- 4
Clean and disinfect exam room surfaces and equipment between patients per the practice's protocol and the disinfectant's required contact (dwell) time.
- 5
Dispose of sharps immediately in a puncture-resistant sharps container and biohazard waste in clearly marked, appropriately lined containers.
- 6
Follow isolation signage and precautions correctly when a patient is on a specific transmission-based precaution, not just standard precautions.
- 7
Report any needlestick, splash, or other exposure incident immediately per the practice's exposure-control plan.
Quality Checkpoints
- ✓
Hand hygiene happens before and after every patient contact, independent of whether gloves were also used.
- ✓
PPE donning and doffing follow the correct sequence, not an abbreviated version.
- ✓
Disinfectant contact (dwell) time is honored, not wiped off early.
- ✓
Any exposure incident is reported immediately, not after finishing the current task.
Common Mistakes
- ⚠
Treating glove use as a substitute for handwashing rather than an addition to it.
- ⚠
Removing PPE out of order (e.g., taking off the mask before the gloves), risking self-contamination.
- ⚠
Wiping disinfectant off a surface before its required contact time has elapsed, leaving pathogens unaddressed.
- ⚠
Recapping or manually manipulating a used needle instead of dropping it directly into a sharps container.
On-the-Job Tips
- →
The donning/doffing order ("gown, mask, goggles, gloves" on; reverse-ish off starting with gloves) becomes automatic with repetition — practice it deliberately until it is.
- →
Keep disinfectant dwell times posted near each exam room, since they vary by product and surface and are easy to misremember under time pressure.
Also study the exam domain
The written CCMA exam tests the knowledge behind this task in multiple-choice format — use the study guides to reinforce it.
Browse All CCMA Study Guides →Practice the written exam
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