Patient Care Assistant

Patient Care Assistants (PCA) receive additional training that expands the traditional role of the nursing assistant. This training includes an increase in supervised clinical hours, a component related to home health, and a component related to caring for patients in a hospital. The training prepares students to work in a health care facility other than a nursing home.

What is the PCA Program at SCC?

This SCC Healthcare program is a planned sequence of instruction, which offers a broad foundation of knowledge and skills expanding the traditional role of the Nursing Assistant. Emphasis will be placed on Acute, Long Term Care and Home Health Skills. The student MUST successfully complete the Articulated Nursing Assistant and Advanced Home Health Aide courses in order to enter into the Patient Care Assistant course.

Upon satisfactory completion of the 165 hour Articulated Nursing Assistant course, the student is eligible to take the (NACEP) Nurse Aide Competency Evaluation Program (Florida Statues 82-162) for Certification as a Nursing Assistant.

Description

290 contact hours which include:

• Classroom lecture, activities, and skills practice in on-campus lab
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers
• HIV / AIDS / Hepatitis B., TB
• Employability skills
• Clinical experience at a long-term care facility

Career Opportunities

According to The Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network (www.flahec.org/), employment opportunities abound! Approximately 2,981 job openings are expected each year in Florida until 2008. Legislative changes have created even more nursing assistant positions that need to be filled. On average, nursing assistants and patient care assistants earn $8.60/hour in Florida. In some areas of the state, patient care assistants may earn as much as $15/hour.

Contact Person

Joanne Moats, RN
Instructor / Program Manager
PH. 407.404.6099
moatsj@scc-fl.edu