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Certified Personal Care Assistant
PURPOSE
The Personal Care Assistant certification documents the basic competencies involved in providing care of individuals in the home setting.  This credential is beneficial to medical assistants, nursing assistants, home health aides, licensed nurses who work in a home care setting, personal aides, and family caregivers who provide personal and limited medical care assistance to individuals in the home environment.

AUDIENCE
This credential is appropriate for any medical or non-medical individual who provides care for others in the home, non-institutional environment. These professionals include family/non-medical care providers, medical assistants, nursing assistants, nursing professionals, personal care assistants, and others who work specifically in the home environment. 

jOB/CAREER REQUIREMENTS
Home health and personal care aides and assistants help people who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired and who are living at home. They also help older adults who may need assistance to remain independent. They help with activities such as bathing, toileting, and dressing, and provide services such as light housekeeping, meal planning, and transportation. In some states, home health aides may be able to give a client medication or check the client’s vital signs under the direction of a nurse or other healthcare practitioner. Many positions are in the patient’s home; however, there are many positions in group homes or similar environments. Individuals in these positions assist the client or resident in helping themselves with activities of daily living, ensure the client or resident is living in a safe and supportive environment, and provide companionship and family support; they do not provide direct medical care.

PERSONAL CARE ASSISTANT WORKPLACE TASKS
  • Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance 
  • Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor 
  • Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands
  • Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles 
  • Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and assisting with medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists
  • Plan, shop for, or prepare nutritious meals or assist families in planning, shopping for, or preparing nutritious meals 
  • Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming 
  • Transport clients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians' offices or on outings, using a motor vehicle 
  • Instruct or advise clients on issues such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care 
  • Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services 
  • Train family members to provide bedside care 
  • Direct patients in simple prescribed exercises or therapeutic modalities or in the use of braces or artificial limbs 
  • Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness

EXAM STRUCTURE OVERVIEW

Number of Questions in Exam: 120
Total Time: 120 minutes
Overall Passing Score: 70%
(All sections require an individual passing score of 70%)
Certified Personal Care Assistant
The Personal Care Assistant certification documents the basic competencies involved in providing care of individuals in the home setting. This credential is beneficial to medical assistants, nursing assistants, home health aides, licensed nurses who work in a home care setting, personal aides, and family caregivers who provide personal and limited medical care assistance to individuals in the home environment. Home health and personal care aides and assistants help people who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired and who are living at home. They also help older adults who may need assistance to remain independent. They help with activities such as bathing, toileting, and dressing, and provide services such as light housekeeping, meal planning, and transportation. In some states, home health aides may be able to give a client medication or check the client’s vital signs under the direction of a nurse or other healthcare practitioner. Many positions are in the patient’s home; however, there are many positions in group homes or similar environments. Individuals in these positions assist the client or resident in helping themselves with activities of daily living, ensure the client or resident is living in a safe and supportive environment, and provide companionship and family support; they do not provide direct medical care. This credential is appropriate for any medical or non-medical individual who provides care for others in the home, non-institutional environment. These professionals include family/non-medical care providers, medical assistants, nursing assistants, nursing professionals, personal care assistants, and others who work specifically in the home environment. Workplace Tasks for this area include the following: • Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance • Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor • Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands • Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles • Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and assisting with medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists • Plan, shop for, or prepare nutritious meals or assist families in planning, shopping for, or preparing nutritious meals • Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming • Transport clients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians' offices or on outings, using a motor vehicle • Instruct or advise clients on issues such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care • Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services • Train family members to provide bedside care • Direct patients in simple prescribed exercises or therapeutic modalities or in the use of braces or artificial limbs • Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness
Certified Personal Care Assistant
The Personal Care Assistant certification documents the basic competencies involved in providing care of individuals in the home setting. This credential is beneficial to medical assistants, nursing assistants, home health aides, licensed nurses who work in a home care setting, personal aides, and family caregivers who provide personal and limited medical care assistance to individuals in the home environment. Home health and personal care aides and assistants help people who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired and who are living at home. They also help older adults who may need assistance to remain independent. They help with activities such as bathing, toileting, and dressing, and provide services such as light housekeeping, meal planning, and transportation. In some states, home health aides may be able to give a client medication or check the client’s vital signs under the direction of a nurse or other healthcare practitioner. Many positions are in the patient’s home; however, there are many positions in group homes or similar environments. Individuals in these positions assist the client or resident in helping themselves with activities of daily living, ensure the client or resident is living in a safe and supportive environment, and provide companionship and family support; they do not provide direct medical care. This credential is appropriate for any medical or non-medical individual who provides care for others in the home, non-institutional environment. These professionals include family/non-medical care providers, medical assistants, nursing assistants, nursing professionals, personal care assistants, and others who work specifically in the home environment. Workplace Tasks for this area include the following: • Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance • Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor • Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands • Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles • Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and assisting with medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists • Plan, shop for, or prepare nutritious meals or assist families in planning, shopping for, or preparing nutritious meals • Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming • Transport clients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians' offices or on outings, using a motor vehicle • Instruct or advise clients on issues such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care • Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services • Train family members to provide bedside care • Direct patients in simple prescribed exercises or therapeutic modalities or in the use of braces or artificial limbs • Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness
Pharmacy: The Cardiovascular, Circulatory, and Lymph Systems

Pharmaceuticals interact with the various body systems in interesting ways. Understanding the relationship between pharmaceuticals and the body is essential to ensure patient health. The cardiovascular system alongside the circulatory and lymph systems are affected tremendously by various medications and treatments. As a center point for these systems, heart health is something we all pay attention to.

For healthcare professionals, the ability to recognize diseases and disorders of these systems is imperative. Coronary artery disease, heart failure, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are just some of the conditions that can affect the functioning of these systems but also conditions that can respond particularly well to drug treatments. Proper treatment will always depend on severity, however, which is why it is imperative for health professionals to recognize these conditions and understand how to best to respond, particularly as these conditions are often presented in emergency circumstances.

After completing this resource, learners will be able to:

  • Diagram the basic anatomical structure and parts of the heart
  • Explain the function of the heart and the circulation of the blood within the body
  • Describe common diseases affecting the heart including the causes, symptoms, and pharmaceutical treatments associated with each disease
  • Describe the mechanism of action of anticoagulants, indications for their use, and antidotes of overdose
  • Differentiate between HDL, LDL, and triglycerides
  • List the total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride ranges for an average adult
  • Describe the structure and main functions of the lymphatic system, as well as its relationship to the cardiovascular system
Infection Control, Quality Assurance, and Safety in Phlebotomy
Credentials in Phlebotomy demonstrate the development of skills for healthcare professionals who collect blood, urine, fecal specimens, seminal fluid, sputum, and other body specimens. They collect, label, package, transport, use lab equipment to test, enter data into computers, report on, and store body fluid specimen. Phlebotomists are employed in general medical and surgical hospitals, specialty hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories, ambulatory health care services, physicians offices, insurance carriers, state government offices, home health care services, blood donation facilities, and other facilities. This credential is designed to document the knowledge base for phlebotomists who work in a variety of settings, including those who are a part of the laboratory team, paramedics, and point-of-care healthcare workers. Areas of assessment include the phlebotomist’s role and profession, infection control and safety, quality assurance, anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, phlebotomy equipment and procedures, point-of-care testing, and special populations and procedures.