Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 59A-4.1081 - Personal Care Attendant Training Program Requirements
(1) This program permits a nursing home
licensed pursuant to Chapter 400 Part II, Florida Statutes (F.S.) to employ a
trained Personal Care Attendant.
(2)
Purpose - This Personal Care Attendant Training Program will enable the
Personal Care Attendant to further obtain skills and training from their
employer toward the goal of successfully passing the Certified Nursing
Assistant (CNA) exam.
(3)
Definitions.
(a) "Personal Care Attendant" or
"PCA" means a person who meets the training requirement in this rule and
Section 400.141(1)(w),
F.S., and provides care to and assists residents with tasks related to the
activities of daily living.
(b)
"Training Program" means the Personal Care Attendant Training Program as
specified in Section 400.141(1)(w),
F.S.
(4) Scope - The
Training Program must consist of a minimum of sixteen (16) hours of education.
The 16 hours of required education and eight (8) hours of simulation must be
completed before the PCA has any direct contact with a resident.
(5) Program Requirements.
(a) A candidate for the Training Program must
be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
(b) The candidate must be able to read, write
and complete written materials pertinent to their job
duties.
(6) Training
Standards.
(a) Completion of all training and
documentation requirements for PCA candidates is the ultimate responsibility of
the hiring facility.
(b) Training
must consist of a minimum of sixteen (16) hours of classroom teaching and eight
(8) hours of supervised simulation in which the PCA candidate is required to
demonstrate competency in all areas of training.
(c) Upon completion of classroom instruction,
PCA candidates must simulate and demonstrate competency in all required areas
of instructions and competency in accordance with section (7) of this
rule.
(d) The PCA Training Program
must be taught by a registered nurse. For the purposes of this training
program, the instructor must be a licensed professional registered
nurse.
(e) Under observation by the
instructor, PCA candidates will first simulate procedures while working
together in pairs or teams. Next, the instructor must observe each candidate's
simulation of required skills and document the candidate's
competency.
(f) Upon completion of
the Training Program, the facility must maintain a record of all PCA candidates
who complete training and demonstrate the required competencies. The facility
shall post daily the names of the PCAs on duty. When requested by the Agency,
the facility will provide the names of all PCAs working in the facility at the
time of the request.
(g) PCAs must
be supervised by a licensed nurse and shall report to the facility's nursing
management or supervisor.
(h) The
facility must notify its certified and licensed staff members that PCAs have a
limited scope of permissible work, and detail duties they may not be delegated
to perform as PCAs. If the facility learns that any PCA is performing duties
outside the limited scope of permissible work, the facility must immediately
intervene, stop the PCA, and reassign those duties to authorized
personnel.
(i) Upon completion of
the 16 hour education requirement and eight (8) hour simulation requirement,
the PCA will work under the supervision of the licensed nursing staff and in
collaboration with the Certified Nursing Assistants.
(7) Required areas of classroom instruction
(16 hours).
(a) Residents' rights (2 hours).
1. Immediate reporting of abuse and neglect
to nurse/manager on duty.
2. Sample
scenarios of situations involving resident rights, abuse, and
neglect.
3. Review of immediate
protection of resident until assistance arrives if abuse is in
process.
4. Review of duty to
immediately report abuse or neglect to nurse/manager on duty.
5. Department of Children and Families (DCF)
reporting requirements for mandated reporters.
6. Maintaining resident privacy and honoring
resident preferences.
(b)
Confidentiality of residents' personal information and medical records (1.5
hours).
1. How to maintain confidentiality of
resident information.
2. Response
to a witnessed (or reported) breach.
(c) Control of contagious and infectious
diseases (2 hours of classroom education and 1.5 hours of simulation).
1. How infection is spread (chain of
infection/modes of transmission) and how to prevent infection.
2. Hand hygiene: handwashing, alcohol-based
hand rub (ABHR), cough etiquette.
3. Standard precautions/personal protective
equipment.
4. Handling of clean and
soiled linens.
5. Disinfection of
common use articles/equipment/high touch objects/areas.
6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) use
and disposal.
7. The PCA will not
be assigned or provide care or services to a resident on isolation
precautions.
(d)
Emergency response measures (2 hours of classroom education and 1.5 hours of
simulation).
1. Fall prevention.
2. What to do when a resident is found on the
floor.
3. Choking: abdominal
thrusts.
4. Fire safety.
5. Weather safety.
(e) Assistance with activities of daily
living (4 hours of classroom education and 2 hours of simulation).
1. Initial steps/responding to a call
light.
2. Obtaining a temperature
(all routes other than rectal), reporting/documentation.
3. Making an unoccupied bed/handling of
linens.
4. Turning and
repositioning the resident while in bed.
5. Transfer from bed to chair/wheelchair/use
of Gait belt - one person standby/transfer.
6. For anything beyond a one-person transfer,
the PCA may only assist and must be directed by a certified/licensed staff
member.
7. Assistance with
dressing/undressing.
8.
Incontinence/perineal care.
9.
Assist to toilet/use of urinal (only for a resident requiring one
person/standby assistance).
10.
Oral care - conscious residents only.
11. Devices/use/storage.
a. Hearing aids.
b. Eyeglasses.
c. Dentures.
12. PCA may not apply or don orthotics and
prosthetics devices or braces.
13.
Final steps/observations to report to the nurse.
14. Assistance with
bathing/showering.
(f)
Measuring vital signs (1 hour of classroom education and 1.5 hours of
simulation).
(g) Skin care and
pressure sores prevention (30 minutes of classroom education and 1 hour of
simulation).
1. Basic
care/interventions/devices.
2.
Offloading/floating heels.
3.
Observations to report to the nursing management or supervisor on duty.
a. Open area or skin condition observed to be
lacking a dressing - emphasis on no dressing applied by the PCA.
b. Observed bruises, abrasions, or skin
tears.
(h)
Portable oxygen use and safety (30 minutes of classroom education and 30
minutes of simulation).
1. Nasal
cannula/tubing/storage/observing liter flow.
2. Potential hazards
safety.
(i) Nutrition and
hydration (30 minutes).
1. Mechanically
altered diets/thickened liquids/adherence to diet.
2. Passing trays/retrieving trays (set
up/opening packages for residents who can consume meals
independently).
3. Passing ice
water.
4. Food
storage/safety.
5. PCAs cannot feed
a resident prior to completing the training for paid feeding assistants
required in Section 400.141,
F.S.
(j) Dementia care (1
hour).
1. Stages of
dementia/overview.
2. Tips on
communicating with cognitively impaired residents.
3. Recognition of when to seek additional
staff assistance.
(k)
Mental health/challenging behaviors (1 hour).
1. Responding to a challenging
behavior.
2. Recognition of when to
seek additional staff assistance.
3. Reporting a challenging behavior to
nurse/manager on duty.
4. Trauma
informed care.
(8) Required areas of hands on simulation (8
hours).
(a) Hand hygiene: handwashing,
alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), cough etiquette.
(b) Handling of clean and soiled
linens.
(c) Disinfection of common
use articles/equipment/high touch objects/areas.
(d) Personal protective equipment (PPE) use
and disposal.
(e) What to do when a
resident is found on the floor.
(f)
Choking: abdominal thrusts.
(g)
Fire safety.
(h) Initial
steps/responding to a call light.
(i) Obtaining a temperature (all routes other
than rectal), reporting/documentation.
(j) Making an unoccupied bed/handling of
linens.
(k) Turning and
repositioning the resident while in bed.
(l) Transfer from bed to chair/wheelchair/use
of gait belt - one person standby/transfer.
(m) Assistance with
dressing/undressing.
(n)
Incontinence/perineal care.
(o)
Assist to toilet/use of urinal (only for a resident requiring one
person/standby assistance).
(p)
Assistance with bathing/showering.
(q) Oral care - conscious residents
only.
(r) Measuring Vital
Signs.
(s) Basic
care/interventions/devices.
(t)
Offloading/floating heels.
(u)
Nasal cannula/tubing/storage/observing liter flow.
(9) This rule is in effect for five years
from its effective date.
Notes
Rulemaking Authority 400.141, 400.23 FS. Law Implemented 400.141, 400.211(2)(d), 400.23 FS.
New 5-4-22.
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