State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive All-in-One Prep for Exam Success!

Effective communication is essential in healthcare settings, particularly for nursing assistants who need to interact with patients, family members, and healthcare teams. Each action listed contributes to communication barriers, but all these actions collectively demonstrate a range of ineffective communication behaviors.

Interrupting can disrupt the flow of conversation, preventing the speaker from fully expressing their thoughts and feelings, and it may convey a lack of respect or interest in what is being shared. Not listening carefully can lead to misunderstandings, as it prevents the listener from grasping important information. Being judgmental can create a barrier that makes individuals feel uncomfortable or defensive, hindering open and honest communication.

Since all these actions—interrupting, not listening carefully, and being judgmental—significantly hinder effective communication, they collectively exemplify behaviors that should be avoided to foster a more constructive dialogue. Recognizing these actions is critical for nursing assistants to ensure that they create an environment where patients feel heard, valued, and understood.