Career Studies Certificate
Nurse Aide
Purpose: The Nurse Aide program is designed to provide the skills and knowledge to prepare the student to take the Nurse Aide in Virginia certification test to become a Certified Nurse Aide.
Occupational Objective: Upon completion of this curriculum and certification by the Virginia Board of Nursing, individuals will be eligible for employment in a variety of health care settings.
Admission Requirements: Prospective nurse aide students must complete College placement tests with scores of 81 in Reading, 71 in Writing, and 37 in Math. Prospective nurse aide students who do not meet required placement levels must enroll in and successfully complete developmental studies courses. The Nurse Aide Courses are HCT 101, 102, and 110.
ENG 05 Reading Improvement II
ENG 03 Preparation for College Writing II
MTH 02 Basic Arithmetic
SDV 100 and ITE 115 may be taken while developmental studies are being completed.
A prospective student with a felony conviction needs to see the HCT course instructor/program advisor. Certain convictions will prevent an individual from being certified as a nurse aide in Virginia .
The program requires additional expenditures including the Nurse Aide student's health assessments, immunizations, uniforms, supplies and equipment among other expenses. Prospective Nurse Aide students must provide the Nursing Office with a criminal history report prior to admission to the Nurse Aide HCT 101 course. Instructions on how to submit a report and explanation for the requirement of a report are available in the Nursing Office. Contact the Nursing & Allied Health Programs Office at 540-423-9821 or Zoila Ortega at zortega@germanna.edu for information.
Objectives :
• Provide skills and knowledge to prepare the student to take the Nurse Aide in Virginia certification test.
• Provide a career ladder toward the Practical Nursing (PN) Certificate and/or the Associate in Applied Science Nursing (AASN) Degree when the program graduate has completed either the PN or AASN admission requirements. Graduation from the Nurse Aide program does not guarantee admission into the PN or AASN programs.
Nurse Aide Curriculum :
Program Requirements Credits
SDV 100 College Success Skills: 1
ITE 115 Introduction to Computer Applications and Concepts: 3
HCT 101 Health Care Technician I: 4
HCT 102 Health Care Technician II: 3
HCT 110 Therapeutic Communication in the Health Care Setting: 3
Total Minimum Credits: 14
HCT 101 and HCT 102 must be taken during the same semester. An admitted student may choose to take only HCT 101 and HCT 102 and upon completion of these two courses, be a candidate to take the Nurse Aide in Virginia certification test. Students who choose this route will not receive the career studies certificate.
With the increasing and aging population, comes the need for more skilled healthcare workers, the second highest growth industry in Virginia . Regional healthcare agencies indicate that they are unable to fill many of their positions and request that GCC expand its offerings to provide additional skilled healthcare professionals, specifically nurse aides. The Career Study Certificate in Nurse Aide Training will supply this critically needed healthcare workforce and provide a career ladder opportunity for program completers to advance into practical nursing certificate and/or associate degree nursing programs.
Students must have a Criminal History Report, a physical examination and immunizations. See specific requirements to enter clinical setting. These requirements must be met and documented by the 2nd week of class.
NURSE'S AIDE CREDENTIAL POLICY
Germanna Community College has contractual agreements with the region's health care facilities to allow the students in the College's nursing programs to have clinical learning experiences in those health care facilities. The terms of the contractual agreements state that the College agrees to:
- Require and certify the students meet the appropriate health requirements prior to their clinical placement, which will include , but not be limited to: rubella/rubeola immunity, TB testing (PPD) on an annual basis or as indicated by OSHA regulations. HBV immunizations and a urine drug screen in designated health care facilities.
- Documentation of immunity by verification of two MMR's or titer.
- Require students to have current student nurse malpractice/liability insurance.
- Require students to be oriented to the health care facility.
- Require students to carry hospitalization insurance for year-round coverage, as students must assume financial responsibility for any injuries incurred during clinical activities.
- Require students to be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) annually, or as required by agency policy.
- May require students to provide criminal background check.
Nursing students are responsible for providing immediate documentation of credentials to the Nursing Office. The credentials, PPD or chest x-ray, hepatitis B vaccines and titer, tetanus, two (2) Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccines and or titers, and chickenpox (Varicella Zoster) or titer must be validated by means of official medical/laboratory documentation. Credentials, CPR, professional malpractice/liability insurance and physical/dental examinations, must be validated by means of official documentation.
Nursing students are responsible for submitting documentation of renewals for TB Testing, malpractice/liability insurance, health insurance and CPR re-certification to the Nursing Office.
Nursing students are encouraged to obtain blood sample titers that validate active immunity to communicable diseases. The blood sample titer must be drawn to confirm that the student has, indeed, become immunized.
When a student progresses within a nursing program, the student is accountable for providing documentation of completed HepB series vaccination, current CPR, liability insurance, health insurance, PPD, and license (if applicable.)
Essential Functional Abilities
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. has determined that the following categories of functional abilities are essential for licensure and job performance of the nurse. A brief description and examples of representative activities/attributes are included for your reference.
Category Description
Gross Motor Skills Gross motor skill sufficient to provide the full range of safe and effective nursing care activities, such as moving within confined spaces, reaching above shoulders, reaching below waist, standing and maintaining balance.
Fine Motor Skills Fine motor skills sufficient to perform psychomotor skills, such as grasping small objects with hands, keying/typing, pinching, picking, twisting, and squeezing with fingers.
Physical Endurance Physical stamina sufficient to perform client care activities for entire length of work role, such as standing during surgical or therapeutic procedures or performing CPR.
Physical Strength Physical strength sufficient to perform full range of required client care activities, such as pushing and pulling 25 pounds, supporting and lifting up to 25 pounds, moving objects weighing up to 50 pounds, and squeezing with hands to operate a fire extinguisher.
Mobility Physical abilities sufficient to move from place to place in a quick manner and to maneuver by twisting, squatting, climbing and walking.
Hearing Auditory ability sufficient for physical monitoring and assessment of client health care needs, which includes hearing faint body sounds, faint voices, hearing in situations when not able to see lips, and hearing auditory alarms.
Visual Visual ability sufficient for accurate observation and performance of nursing care, which includes seeing objects up to 20 inches away and 20 feet away, depth perception, peripheral vision, and ability to distinguish color and color intensity.
Tactile Tactile ability sufficient for physical monitoring and assessment of health care needs, which includes feeling vibrations, detecting temperature and feeling differences in surface characteristics, sizes and shapes.
Smell Olfactory ability sufficient to detect significant environmental and client odors.
Category Description
Reading Reading ability sufficient to comprehend the written word at a minimum of a tenth grade level.
Arithmetic Arithmetic ability sufficient to do computations at a minimum of an eighth grade level which includes reading and understanding columns of writing, reading graphic printouts and digital displays, calibrating equipment, converting numbers to and/or from the Metric System, measuring time, counting rates, using measuring tools, reading measurement marks, computing fractions, and using a calculator.
Emotional Stability Emotional stability sufficient to assume responsibility/accountability for actions, which includes establishing therapeutic boundaries, dealing with the unexpected, adapting to changing environment/stress, focusing attention on a task, performing multiple responsibilities concurrently, and handling strong emotion.
Analytical Thinking Reasoning skills sufficient to perform deductive and inductive thinking for nursing decisions, which includes transferring knowledge from one situation to another, processing information, problem solving, evaluating outcomes, prioritizing tasks, and using short term and long term memory.
Critical Thinking Skill Critical thinking skill sufficient to exercise sound nursing judgment, which includes identifying cause-effect relationships, planning/controlling activities for others, synthesizing knowledge and skills, and sequencing information.
Interpersonal Skills Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families and groups respecting social, cultural and spiritual diversity.
Communication Skills Communication abilities sufficient for interaction with others in written and oral form, which includes teaching, explaining procedures, giving oral reports, and conveying information through writing.
Contact Information:
Phone (540) 423-9821
Fax (540) 423-9865, TTY: (540) 423-9888
E-mail: nursing@germanna.edu