Personal Care Aide Training

Personal care aides (PCAs), often known as caregivers, play a crucial role in supporting clients who require assistance with daily activities due to illness, injury, or age-related limitations. These professionals are dedicated to promoting their client's physical well-being and providing emotional support and companionship during challenging times.

This asynchronous caregiver course will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the personal care aide's roles and responsibilities and ways to properly care for clients, including hygiene, grooming, nutrition, rehabilitation, legal and ethical guidelines, and more. Additionally, during your personal care aide training, important skills will be discussed to help you prepare for your career as a caregiver within the home environment and healthcare facility. After completing the PCA training course, you will have the essential knowledge and competencies to perform the duties of a personal care aide and provide exceptional caregiving to clients or family members in a profession that is expected to grow significantly through 2031.

The medical terminology course introduces key concepts of medical language and human anatomy, emphasizing the interconnectedness of body systems in health and disease. Students with prior knowledge can optionally test out by achieving a minimum score of 80%, replacing course content if desired. It is important to understand that this course feature only applies to the online Medical Terminology course.

Most states require additional agency-directed training of employees after they are hired. This personal care aide training course is not intended as a substitute for the additional agency-directed training required by a state. Students are responsible for determining the training and competency requirements of employers in the states in which they wish to be employed.

Funding Disclaimer: For Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funded students, please consult with your funding source representative before taking advantage of the Medical Terminology test-out feature. Different funding programs may have specific requirements and/or restrictions. If you attempt the test-out feature(s) in the Medical Terminology course without getting approval, your funding benefits may be jeopardized.

Instructor(s):

Heather Morton

Dr. Heather Morton is an educator, consultant, and coach. Her teaching philosophy is primarily based on principles of the adult learning theory: 1) experiential learning, or the learner's ability to understand content through doing and reflection, and 2) motivation to learn, or the learner's desire to set and attain goals through their intrinsic desire to grow. To accomplish this, she uses a variety of strategies to help each learner relate the content to their lives while providing constructive and positive feedback.

Dr. Morton also has experience as a consultant and coach. Her Certified Professional Life Coach certificate through the Transformation Academy helped her develop a strong foundation in this field. Many of the concepts and principles covered in her training were reiterated in her master's and doctorate studies in psychology. As a coach, Dr. Morton provides one-on-one support to her clients, helping them as they achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and grow and develop as individuals. In this sense, she is excited to help aspiring coaches flourish in their coaching studies.

In addition to a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Liberty University, Dr. Morton holds a Master of Art in Industrial Organizational Psychology degree from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from Siena Heights University.

Justine Romich

Justine Romich, MSN, RNC-EFM, has been a labor and delivery nurse for the past five years. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a Master of Science in Nursing degree focusing on nursing education.

While practicing as a registered nurse (RN) in obstetric and newborn care, Justine has taught nursing students in various courses in classroom, clinical, and laboratory settings. She is dedicated to providing safe, evidence-based care to all patients, involving herself in professional nursing organizations and hospital committees to continuously improve practices.

Medical Terminology Instructors

Our medical terminology course section is taught by multiple experienced instructors. See here for a full list of these instructors.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 10 or later.
• Mac: macOS 12 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Microsoft Word Online
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment. The following digital textbook will be provided via links in the classroom after enrollment in the Medical Terminology course:

• Medical Terminology for Health Professions (eBook)

The textbooks will be shipped to you approximately 7-10 business days after enrollment in the Personal Care Aide course:

• Nursing Assistant: A Nursing Process Approach, 12th Edition by Barbara Acello and Barbara Hegner
• Workbook to Accompany Nursing Assistant: A Nursing Process Approach, 12th Edition by Barbara Acello and Barbara Hegner