Course Description

This course provides students with the opportunity to develop a theoretical framework for practice. Students will be introduced to the philosophical values and theoretical understandings that provide a foundation for competent practice as an HCA. The course focuses on concepts of caring and person-centred care; basic human needs and human development; and family, culture, and diversity as they relate to health and healing. Students will also be introduced to a problem-solving model that will be critical to their practice.

Minimum course hours: 70

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe how person-centred care recognizes and respects the uniqueness of each individual:
   • 1.1 Describe the characteristics and qualities of caring interactions in a variety of contexts.
   • 1.2 Explain the importance of respecting the individuality, independence, autonomy, diversity, and dignity of clients and families.
   • 1.3 Describe clients as individuals possessing a wealth of experience, knowledge, and wisdom.
   • 1.4 Discuss the components of social and community models of care as they relate to person-centred care.
2. Discuss basic human needs and common characteristics of human development as these concepts relate to person-centred care:
   • 2.1 Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, explaining the importance of each level and the interrelationship of needs.
   • 2.2 Discuss the HCA’s role in observing and reporting unmet needs in clients.
   • 2.3 Discuss the principles and stages of human development.
   • 2.4 Describe common developmental tasks, characteristics, and needs of various age groups across the lifespan.
   • 2.5 Describe the common characteristics and changes in the older adult.
3. Discuss the role of family, diversity, and life experience in aging, health, and healing:
   • 3.1 Discuss changing family structures and diverse family units.
   • 3.2 Describe common socio-cultural, religious, environmental, and economic influences on the family.
   • 3.3 Discuss the impact of stress on family care providers.
   • 3.4 Identify ways care providers may support the family.
   • 3.5 Describe how diversity influences an individual’s experience of aging, health, and healing.
   • 3.6 Discuss diverse practices in health and healing, including the role of traditional medicines, healing practices, and alternative forms of healing.
   • 3.7 Explain the impact of inequity and discrimination on the quality of care.
   • 3.8 Define cultural safety and cultural humility.
   • 3.9 Describe how to provide culturally safe and sensitive care, including how to consider Indigenous history, cultural practices, traditional healing practices and medicines, and different community norms and protocols.
4. Use an informed problem-solving approach to provide care and service:
   • 4.1 Describe critical thinking as a caring concept.
   • 4.2 Discuss the relationship between critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
   • 4.3 Describe care-planning as a problem-solving process.
   • 4.4 Describe the steps of the care-planning and problem-solving process.
   • 4.5 Describe the role of the HCA in planning care.
   • 4.6 Describe common practices for reporting and recording in various health care settings (complex care, community care, and acute care).
5. Contribute to the safety and protection of self and others in a variety of work environments:
   • 5.1 Describe individual factors affecting the need for protection and safety (health age, lifestyle, and mental or cognitive health challenges).
   • 5.2 Discuss ways of promoting and maintaining safe environments.
   • 5.3 Define and describe elements of risk management.
   • 5.4 Discuss care planning to promote safety of the client and of the HCA.
   • 5.5 Discuss living-at-risk issues.
   • 5.6 Identify emergency and critical incidents and describe appropriate steps to take during and after the incident.

Course Content

Characteristics of Caring and Person-Centred Practice

• Caring as a moral ideal: What is caring?
• What distinguishes a caring act from an uncaring act?
• Caring in a health care context.
• Values and beliefs about care and caring.
• Promoting the dignity and worth of self and others.
• Self-building and self-caring as the basis of becoming an effective care provider.
• Caring and power — power positions vs. relational positions with others.
• Independence, dependence, and interdependence.
• Independence and self-esteem.
• Promoting self-determination.
• Promoting quality of life — who decides what it means to each person.
• Social and community models of care.
• Supporting personal preferences and choices.
• Recreation and socialization and how they affect quality of life.
• Preventing isolation and unnecessary dependence.
• Living at risk — what it is and why it is an option — the right to self-determination and choice.

Basic Human Needs

• Hierarchy of needs:
  • Physiological
  • Safety and security
  • Love and belonging
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-actualization and self-fulfillment
• Interrelationship of needs.
• Factors that affect needs and meeting the needs of clients and families.
• Unique factors that affect needs and meeting the needs in older adults.
• Observing and reporting unmet needs.

Human Development

• Principles and stages of human development.
• Common developmental tasks and characteristics of:
  • Infancy
  • Toddlerhood
  • Preschool period
  • School age
  • Adolescence
  • Young adulthood
  • Middle adulthood
• Developmental tasks, characteristics, and changes in the older adult:
  • Physical changes
  • Psychosocial challenges
  • Loss as part of aging
  • Diversity in older adults
  • Factors influencing aging

Family in Health and Healing

• Family development.
• Diverse family units.
• Changing family structures.
• Socio-cultural, religious, environmental, and economic influences on the family.
• The role of family in health and healing:
  • Coping and adapting
  • Decision-making
• Understanding the impact of stress on family care providers.
• Families experiencing conflict or other dysfunction.
• Supporting the family.

Diversity

• Relationship between diversity and person-centred care.
• Impact of diversity on aging, and health and healing, including:
  • Race and ethnicity.
  • Culture.
  • Generational differences.
  • Gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
  • Religious and spiritual diversity.
• Diverse practices in health and healing, including the role of traditional medicines, healing practices, and alternative forms of healing.
• Prejudice and discrimination.
• Impact of inequity and discrimination on the quality of care.
• Cultural safety and cultural humility.
• Culturally safe and sensitive care.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

• Critical thinking as a caring concept.
• Relationship between critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
• Components of effective problem-solving and decision-making.
• Problem-solving in relation to time management.
• Care planning as a problem-solving process.
• Steps in the care-planning and problem-solving process:
  • Observing – gathering information (including the client’s unique personal history, achievements, strengths, and preferences).
  • Consulting with the client and health care team.
  • Establishing priorities.
  • Defining the problem or care requirement.
  • Identifying the goal for care.
  • Creating an action plan.
  • Implementing the action plan.
  • Evaluating.
• Care-planning process in health care settings, including complex care, community care, and acute care.
• Concepts of client acuity and how these factors influence the HCA’s problem-solving and decision-making regarding care provision and prioritization of care activities.
• Role of HCAs in planning care.
• Reporting and recording.
  • Common practices in different health care settings, including complex care, community care, and acute care settings.
  • Paper-based documentation (e.g., flow sheets, records, charts).
  • Electronic-based documentation.
    • Electronic health records (EHRs).
    • Tools used for EHRs, including computers, tablets, and mobile devices.
    • Common health technology systems in B.C.
    • Privacy, confidentiality, and security requirements.

Protection and Safety in Health and Healing

• Factors affecting the need for protection and safety (health, age, lifestyle, and cognitive or mental health challenges).
• Realities and challenges.
• Promoting and maintaining safe environments in various health care settings (complex care, community care, acute care), including:
  • Reporting unsafe equipment.
  • Maintaining a clutter-free environment.
  • Recognizing and reporting vermin and vectors.
  • Safety when working alone.
• Roles and parameters of practice in relation to safety.
• Risk management – definitions and approaches.
• Following the plan of care to address safety of the client and of the HCA.
• Living-at-risk issues: respecting the client’s choice to live at risk when an informed choice has been made.
• Emergency and critical incidents:
  • Recognizing critical incidents.
  • Recognizing situations where critical incident debriefing is warranted.
  • Recognizing appropriate actions by the HCA in response to emergency situations (for example, recognizing and responding to cardiac arrest in complex care, acute care, and community care settings).
  • Recognizing emergency codes used in acute care settings, specifically codes blue, white, yellow, and red.
  • Recognizing the HCA’s role during emergency codes (activating help, assisting other team members as directed, communicating, and collaborating with other team members).