In Health Assisting 1 Students will begin to participate in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health-approved Nursing Assistant curriculum in this Sophomore/Junior level course. This course focuses on the fundamentals of nursing including ethical/legal issues, communication and communication challenges, diversity and human needs, infection prevention and control, safety and body mechanics, and emergency care/first aid. Healthcare vocabulary/terminology is introduced to create a standardized language for students which will help them communicate more efficiently in the healthcare field. The concepts and procedures are introduced in the classroom and practiced in the laboratory before implementation under faculty supervision in a clinical setting in Health Assisting 2. Students will also be required to complete the OSHA 10-Hour General Industry (Healthcare) training course which provides training for entry-level workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, abatement, and prevention of safety and health hazards in workplaces in the healthcare industry. Medical math is also reviewed as it is a competence necessary to be successful as a healthcare employee. The curriculum helps prepare the student for the MCAS exam. This course prepares the learner for taking the certification examination to become a certified nursing assistant in Health Assisting 2.
Module | Timeframe | Big Ideas (Statements or Essential Questions) | Major Learning Experiences from Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
The Nursing Assistant in Long-Term Care | September | What are the various healthcare settings, with an emphasis on long-term care (LTC)? How is LTC paid for and which types of residents will nursing assistants care for in these settings? Who are the other members of the healthcare team? What are the roles and functions of the nursing assistant? What is professional behavior and what is expected in the healthcare setting? What is the chain of command, as well as different methods of nursing care and the survey process? What is the person-centered care model? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Describe healthcare settings ￭Explain Medicare and Medicaid ￭Describe the residents in long-term care facilities ￭Describe the nursing assistant’s role ￭Discuss professionalism and list examples of professional behavior ￭List qualities that nursing assistants must have ￭Discuss proper grooming guidelines ￭Define the role of each member of the care team ￭Discuss the facility chain of command ￭Explain The Five Rights of Delegation ￭Describe methods of nursing care and discuss person-centered care ￭Explain policy and procedure manuals ￭Describe the long-term care survey process |
Ethical and Legal Issues | October | Explain the legal, ethical, and professional behavior that nursing assistants will be expected to show in the healthcare setting. What is OBRA and what are the Residents’ Rights? How do you recognize signs of abuse and what actions to take if you see or suspect that a resident is being abused? What is the ombudsman’s role in health care, HIPAA, and the PSDA? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Define law, ethics, and etiquette ￭Discuss examples of ethical and professional behavior ￭Describe a nursing assistant code of ethics ￭Explain OBRA ￭Explain Residents’ Rights ￭Explain types of abuse and neglect ￭Recognize signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect ￭Describe the steps taken if a nursing assistant is suspected of abuse ￭Explain HIPAA and related terms ￭Discuss the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) and advance directives |
III. Communication Skills | November | Describe the process of communication, barriers that make communication difficult, and techniques to overcome these difficulties. How do nursing assistants properly document care, including the use of medical terminology and military time? What are care conferences and what is the nursing assistant's role in them, as well as incident reporting and telephone etiquette? What is the importance of the resident call system? What are strategies for organizing work and managing time? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Explain types of communication ￭Explain barriers to communication ￭List ways that cultures impact communication ￭Identify the people a nursing assistant communicates with in a facility ￭Understand basic medical terminology and abbreviations ￭Explain how to convert regular time to military time ￭Describe a standard resident chart ￭Explain guidelines for documentation ￭Describe the use of computers in documentation ￭Explain the Minimum Data Set (MDS) ￭Describe how to observe and report accurately ￭Explain the nursing process ￭Discuss the nursing assistant’s role in care planning and at care conferences ￭Describe incident reporting and recording ￭Explain proper telephone etiquette ￭Describe the resident call system ￭Describe the nursing assistant’s role in change-of-shift reports and rounds ￭List the information found on an assignment sheet ￭Discuss how to organize work and manage time |
IV. Communication Challenges | December | What situations can occur in healthcare that may make communication difficult?
How do nursing assistants communicate with residents who have visual, hearing, or functional impairments? What are methods of communicating with residents who are depressed, comatose, or are exhibiting dangerous or inappropriate behavior? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Identify communication guidelines for visual impairment ￭Identify communication guidelines for hearing impairment ￭Explain defense mechanisms as methods of coping with stress ￭List communication guidelines for anxiety ￭Discuss communication guidelines for depression ￭Identify communication guidelines for anger ￭Identify communication guidelines for combative behavior ￭Identify communication guidelines for inappropriate sexual behavior ￭Identify communication guidelines for disorientation and confusion ￭Identify communication guidelines for a resident who is comatose ￭Identify communication guidelines for functional barriers |
V. Diversity and Human Needs and Development | January | What kinds of needs do nursing assistants help their residents meet? What is health, wellness, and holistic care?
Explain Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs including meeting the individual needs of each resident, including emotional, spiritual, and sexual needs. Describe the various stages of human growth and development. What are stereotypes of the elderly? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Explain health and wellness ￭Explain the importance of holistic health care ￭Identify basic human needs and discuss Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs ￭Identify ways to accommodate cultural differences ￭Discuss the role of the family in health care ￭Explain how to meet emotional needs of residents and their families ￭Explain ways to help residents with their spiritual needs ￭Identify ways to accommodate sexual needs ￭Describe the stages of human growth and development ￭Discuss stereotypes of the elderly ￭Discuss developmental disabilities |
VI. Infection Prevention and Control | February | What are the infection prevention regulations established by OSHA, the CDC, and the healthcare facility (if applicable). What is the chain of infection and the techniques needed to break the chain and protect residents, staff, and visitors from infection. Why are the elderly at greater risk for infection? What are the specific infection prevention practices needed to protect the elderly? What are the infection prevention guidelines set by the CDC and OSHA, including Standard Precautions, Transmission-Based Precautions, and the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. What is the potential danger of bloodborne diseases to healthcare workers? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Define infection prevention and discuss types of infections ￭Discuss terms related to infection prevention ￭Describe the chain of infection ￭Explain why the elderly are at a higher risk for infection ￭Describe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and explain Standard Precautions ￭Define hand hygiene and identify when to wash hands ￭Discuss the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in facilities ￭List guidelines for handling linen and equipment ￭Explain how to handle spills ￭Discuss Transmission-Based Precautions ￭Describe care of the resident in an isolation unit ￭Explain OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard ￭Discuss two important bloodborne diseases 108 15. Discuss MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, and CRE SKILLS: Handwashing, PPE |
VII. Safety and Body Mechanics | March | What is a SDS? Describe the containers and procedures used to dispose of biohazardous waste and sharps. What are proper body mechanics to improve safety for yourself and for their residents? What is a restraint? What are the negative effects of restraints? What are restraint alternatives? What are safety precautions needed when caring for residents who are using oxygen or who have IV lines? How can we prevent fires and what should you do if a fire occurs? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭List common accidents in facilities and ways to prevent them ￭Explain the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) ￭Describe safety guidelines for sharps and biohazard containers ￭Explain the principles of body mechanics and apply them to daily activities ￭Define two types of restraints and discuss problems associated with restraints ￭Discuss restraint alternatives ￭Identify what must be done if a restraint is ordered ￭List safety guidelines for oxygen use ￭Identify safety guidelines for intravenous (IV) lines ￭Discuss fire safety and explain the RACE and PASS acronyms ￭List general safety steps for working in a healthcare facility |
VIII. Emergency Care, First Aid, and Disasters | April | What skills are needed to perform first aid in the event of an emergency? Explain the functions of a code team and the nursing assistant’s role on the team. What is the nursing assistant's role in the event of a disaster? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Demonstrate how to respond to medical emergencies ￭Demonstrate knowledge of first aid procedures ￭Explain the nursing assistant’s role on a code team ￭Describe guidelines for responding to disasters |
IX. Nervous System & Dementia | May-June | Describe the structure and function of the nervous system, including the sense organs. Describe disorders of the nervous. What is Alzheimer’s disease and what are the guidelines for communication and assistance with ADLs, and interventions for difficult behaviors that often occur with Alzheimer’s disease? How do we care for residents with mental health disorders as well as signs of substance abuse? | Students will: ￭Define important words in this chapter ￭Explain the structure and function of the nervous system ￭Discuss changes in the nervous system due to aging ￭Discuss common disorders of the nervous system ￭Discuss dementia and related terms ￭Discuss Alzheimer’s disease and identify its stages ￭List strategies for better communication with residents with Alzheimer’s disease ￭Identify personal attitudes helpful in caring for residents with Alzheimer’s disease ￭Describe guidelines for problems with common activities of daily living (ADLs) ￭Describe interventions for common difficult behaviors related to Alzheimer’s disease ￭Discuss ways to provide activities for residents with Alzheimer’s disease ￭Describe therapies for residents with Alzheimer’s disease ￭Discuss mental health and mental health disorders. ￭Discuss substance abuse and list signs of substance abuse to report |