A charge nurse is educating a newly licensed nurse on how to perform a sterile dressing change on a client. Which of the following actions indicates an understanding of the teaching?

A. The nurse opened the package of gauze toward their body: Opening a sterile package toward the body increases the risk of contaminating the contents. Sterile materials should always be opened away from the nurse to maintain sterility. B. The nurse kept their hands above the waist during the dressing change: Keeping hands above the waist helps maintain the integrity of the sterile field. Anything below waist level is considered contaminated, so this action demonstrates proper sterile technique. C. The nurse handled the sterile gauze with clean gloves on: Sterile gloves, not clean gloves, are required to handle sterile materials. Using clean gloves could introduce microorganisms and compromise sterility. D. The nurse placed a bottle of saline on the sterile field: Only items that are sterile should be placed on the sterile field. Placing a non-sterile bottle of saline directly on the field can cause contamination.