What’s new to our lineup of allied health courses?
We now offer PCA training for persons wishing to start out working as a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) or sometimes known as PCT (Personal Care Technician). It is our latest addition to our allied healthcare training consortium. Please check out our calendar of classes for dates and times the course is offered.
The teaching requirements of the PCA/PCT 80-hour Course reflect the legislative mandate that will ensure that adult/family care homes provide services that encourage every resident’s quality of life, autonomy, privacy, independence, respect, and dignity. This training course was developed in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 1312D-4.3 (a) (2) and the rules under 10A NCAC 13F .0502 and 10A NCAC 13G. 0502, to address the 80-hour training program content and approval, and the required hours of training.
Course Content:
We utilize the skills/competency evaluation checklist, skills/Competency Evaluation record and the Certificate of Successful Completion forms in the course, and this course consists of a minimum of 34 hours of classroom instruction and 34 hours of supervised clinical instruction. Labs are part of the classroom instruction.
Patterns of Training:
The PCA/PCT course consists of eleven sections over an 80-hour period. We teach the curriculum in several ways. One of the plans we’ve implemented is the learn/work plan, where the student spends part of the day in live instruction/self-study and the remainder of the day working. Training during the working portion is supervised by the instructor. In this learning pattern, the training could be implemented over a four-week period. Two hours of live instruction/self-study would occur daily, followed by two hours of supervised field experience for five consecutive days. The remainder of the day would be a regular work period in the facility. This five-day work session will be in place for three weeks. During the last week, the time would be adjusted for only a 15-hour block of time to equal the total 80-hour requirement.
An alternative method to the learn/work plan is a class/work session. In this plan, the student spends several hours per day in live instruction and/or self-study for two to three days. Supervised clinical experience occurs on different days from the live instruction/self-study sessions. The clinical can be arranged for part of the day or for it to occur in a complete eight-hour session. Sufficient time is scheduled to accommodate the required 34 hours of love instruction/self-study and 34 hours of clinical field instruction.
Clinical Experiences:
We believe that the clinical learning experiences provide the student an opportunity to practice and gain skills through a structured, instructor-led educational approach that imparts both theory and clinical approaches to learning.
Clinical Practice/Skill Development Checklist:
We utilize clinical practice to develop a way of skill performance. The tool for the clinical practice is the skills development checklist.
This checklist aids the instructor and the student in their skill development and skill performance throughout the course. The instructor/student ratio is 1:10, and all clinical labs take place at our assisted living facility, Ramsgate Family Care Home. A written and skills/competency evaluation is given to each student. Certificates for course achievement is given at the end of the course for those students who successfully complete the written and skill competency evaluation. At our assisted living facility, we maintain copies of certificates issued to each student in their personnel files. Students who successfully complete and pass the course can apply for PCA positions at Ramsgate Family Care Home.
What constitutes a satisfactory grade?
We consider a satisfactory grade when a student can perform a skill unassisted according to the guidelines of the skill. When a student can explain the procedure to the resident and communicate appropriately during the procedure, and when a student can explain to the instructor, prior to or after the procedure, what he/she was doing and why he/she was performing the procedure in a particular manner. Lastly, a satisfactory grade is given to a student who can incorporate the principles of good body mechanics, medical asepsis, and patient safety and privacy.
The first day of class is very important as we will be going over the course content outline, Lesson Plan/Distribution of Hours, and expected outcomes for the course.
In section one, we will cover practical knowledge and skills for working in an Adult/Family Care Home for Personal Care. This section will consist of 5 hours.
In section two, we will discuss Cognitive, Behavioral and Social Car,e including Intellectual Disabilities. This section will consist of 8 hours.
In section three, we will go over Residents’ Rights and Safety in the Environment. This section will consist of 4 hours.
In section four, here we will get to practice Basic Nursing Skills: observing body functions, Care of Persons Confined to Bed and Care pf the Ambulatory Person Needing Assistance with ADLs. This section will consist of 5 hours.
In section five, we will go over Basic Restorative Services, which entail basic human needs for rehabilitative services, restorative eating and self-feeding programs. We will also discuss basic restorative measures to meet psychosocial needs. This section will consist of 3 hours.
In section six, this section covers observation and documenting responsibilities. The focus will be on understanding why observational skills are important as well as the importance of reporting and recording information.
In section seven, this section will involve Basic Nursing Skills for Special Health-Related Tasks. This section will consist of 8 hours.
In section eight, we will be involved in the skills lab: Practice of Special Health-Related Personal Care Tasks. This section will consist of 9 hours. This section must be taught in-person in a physical classroom/skills lab setting.
In section nine, deals with applying knowledge and skills. This will be a Practicum, which will consist of 36 hours. This section must be completed in person at an adult care home facility. We will give an orientation to the practice and focus on the clinical outcomes of this practicum. The clinical outcomes to be performed are:
- Performing basic personal care tasks and providing care as described in the role and responsibilities of personal care staff.
- Performing basic nursing skills, including special health-related tasks, according to established procedures.
- Performing personal care tasks requiring documentation of competency by a licensed professional.
- Document observation using appropriate medical terms
- Meeting the cognitive, behavioral, mental and social care needs of aging and disabled persons
- Provide basic restorative services for aging and disabled persons
In section ten, our final section for the 80-hour course, we will have the Competency Evaluation, which will be followed by an end-of-course exam.
Section eleven: Is the end-of-course exam!
NC General Statutes / Rules and Regulations – PCA Training
View NC PCA Training Rules and Regulations