1. Respects the confidentiality of resident information and adheres to the HIPAA and facility confidentiality guidelines.
2. Communicates clearly, honestly, appropriately and in a timely manner with residents, their families and team members.
3. Uses patience and effective communication skills when dealing with difficult situations.
4. Demonstrates respect for others.
5. Communicates in a non-judgmental manner.
6. Demonstrates organizational skills: prepares equipment and supplies to prevent back-tracking prior to care delivery. Demonstrates effective time-management, including performing specific clerical duties, such as inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephones, and taking messages.
7. Demonstrates effective time-management.
8. Recognizes problems and knows when and who to ask for assistance in problem resolution.
9. Incorporates customer service skills in interaction with all – respecting differences and perspectives. Demonstrates effective communication skills with all medical professionals, patients, and family members.
10. Demonstrates appropriate use of active listening, paraphrasing, and clarifying in all communications

1. Respects the privacy of patients.
2. Recognizes and respects patient individuality and preferences.
3. Recognizes potential abuse/neglect and demonstrates proper parameters around which abuse/neglect is reported and documented.

1. Observes and records quality of room care, sanitation, and patient concerns. Demonstrates comprehension of documentation standards, including specific details of room care which are to be included in a daily log
2. Develops a critical eye when establishing quality standards. Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of effective record keeping and documentation.
3. Demonstrates comprehension of medical documentation basics, including retrieving patient charts and work flow patterns. Understanding of current Health Information Technology (HIT) practices will also be demonstrated.

1. Demonstrates adherence to OSHA and CDC guidelines to minimize infections by following aseptic techniques including those that apply to blood borne pathogens.
2. Demonstrates consistent and appropriate hand-washing techniques including use of hand sanitizing agents. The student must: a. Define nosocomial infection. b. Describe the modes of disease transmission. c. Describe important work principles and practices related to Standard Precautions. d. Explain blood borne pathogens and the safety precautions necessary in CS/SPD. Decontamination Overview e. Describe the functions performed within the decontamination area. f. Outline the standards required for a quality decontamination process. g. Identify employee health and safety considerations associated with the decontamination process. h. Understand the appropriate dress code and the role of personal protective equipment as to employee safety and health. Patient Care Equipment i. Identify the various types of patient care equipment in use in healthcare facilities. j. Describe the processes needed to effectively clean, disinfect, store and distribute patient care equipment. Student will learn how to maintain PT equipment and furniture to keep it in good working order, including performing the assembly and disassembly of equipment and accessories.

1. Demonstrates knowledge of facility safety procedures. Demonstrates comprehension of maintaining a busy PT practice/ward with emphasis on avoiding slip and fall scenarios, dangerous obstructions, and patient backlog.
2. Demonstrates knowledge and proficiency in basic First Aid and CPR.
3. Demonstrates basic emergency cardiovascular care.
4. Identify signs of cardiac distress and arrest.

The student will examine the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Privacy Rule, the first comprehensive Federal protection for the privacy of personal health information. Additionally, the student will learn how to identify physical abuse/neglect and the parameters around which abuse/neglect is reported and documented.

A PT Aide will have to communicate with many different types of people; hence, the focus will be on effective communication skills the Aide will need in order to communicate with a supervising PT, patients and family members.

Effective time management is vital to the productive operation of a Physical Therapy Practice. Hence, the student will be introduced to the basics of time management, including how best to perform specific clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, filling out forms and scheduling patient appointments. The student will also be exposed to inventorying medical supplies or instruments and retrieving files or charts.

See Health Information Technology below

Maintaining a safe work environment is critical to the delivery of quality care and involves effective cleanup and logical instrument positioning. A discussion on how to maintain a busy practice and/or PT ward will be held, with emphasis on avoiding slip and fall scenarios, dangerous obstructions, and patient backup. Additionally, the student will learn how to maintain PT equipment and furniture to keep it in good working condition, including performing the assembly and disassembly of equipment and accessories.

The student learns about the history of PT and how two world wars and a global epidemic created the need for the profession. A discussion of the types of patients who need PT will be discussed, and the types of treatments a PT uses.

A discussion on law and ethic s focuses on the difference between the two, and what the Aide will need to know about the American Physical Therapy Association’s Code of Ethics, and its principles to PT Aides.

A detailed discussion about the various planes of the body and directional terms will be employed, with learning the terms that define the body’s major regions and cavities.

The student will learn the body’s organ systems, and how the body is organized, from atoms to the entire individual. A discussion of the muscular, skeletal, nervous, and endocrine and circulatory systems will be featured.

The art of safety and infection control is key to an effective healthcare employee, and particular attention will be paid to how infections spread and what can be done to break the chain of infection, including proper hand washing. Emphasis is placed on how to effectively change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases and clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.

This component will focus on how people move, and proper body mechanics/safe patient transfers. A discussion of the anatomy of the spine and the principles of using proper body mechanics will be emphasized.

The quality of care can be greatly enhanced if health practitioners make use of health information technology, or HIT, which typically involves the exchange of health information via computers or web-enabled devices. The student will be exposed to the basics of current HIT technology.