Purpose Statement:
All students in this program are expected to meet certain essential functions/technical standards which are essential for successful completion of all phases of the program and which reflect industry requirements and standards. To verify the students’ ability to perform these essential functions, students may be required to demonstrate the following technical standards:
| Standard | Definition of Standard | Example(s) of Technical Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Critical Thinking Skills | Ability to collect, interpret, and integrate information and make good decisions within range of abilities and scope of practice | Goal is to maintain safety:
Read and comprehend relevant information in textbooks, medical records, and other forms of data |
| 2. Mobility/Motor Skills | Ability to manipulate equipment through adequate gross and fine motor skills, stoop, bend or turn while providing safe patient care
Able to sit or stand while manipulating computer equipment |
Goal is to maintain safety:
Able to use equipment specific to work duties |
| 3. Tactile Skills | Adequate sense of touch to monitor patients and detect health needs/abnormalities | Goal is to maintain safety:
Able to touch and use necessary equipment to perform work duties |
| 4. Auditory Skills | Ability to hear electronic equipment
Ability to communicate with patients and healthcare team members and be able to understand what is being communicated |
Goal is to maintain safety:
Able to hear patient concerns and safety alarms, i.e. fire, evacuation, emergency overhead alarms, announcements |
| 5. Visual Skills | Ability to visually observe patients, read records and patient charts and read equipment
Able to visually monitor patients during day and evening lighting |
Goal is to maintain safety:
Able to observe and report patient changes in skin color, breathing, chewing, mobility, and communication Able to accurately record patient data/activities Able to read/interpret a variety of equipment specific to work duties |
| 6. Communication Skills | Able to effectively express oneself in English in verbal, nonverbal, and written formats with faculty, students, patients, and families, and other healthcare team members | Goal is to maintain safety:
Offer support to patients, ask direct questions and answer questions, demonstrate active listening skills, recognize and respond to non-verbal communication, able to keep accurate records and charting with medical jargon and spelling |
| 7. Interpersonal Skills | Able to effectively communicate and collaborate with faculty, student-peers in the classroom/lab/clinical settings, employers/healthcare workers and when working with patients | Goal is to maintain safety:
Able to interact in a socially appropriate manner when interacting with faculty, peers, patients, and families Able to establish professional rapport with patients and healthcare team Willing and able to participate in role-playing scenarios to strengthen skill base when working with patients and other healthcare workers Able to demonstrate socially appropriate behaviors when working with people of a variety of cultural, religious, social, emotional, and intellectual backgrounds |
| 8. Behavioral Skills | Able to demonstrate respect toward self, peers/students, faculty, patients, families, and healthcare team through consistent display of professional behaviors through attitude, communication, work ethic, commitments, while adhering to profession boundaries | Goal is to maintain safety:
Demonstrates respect for self, patients, peers/students, faculty, and healthcare team Demonstrate initiative, cooperative and professional behaviors, and enthusiasm Able to perform duties within the scope of practice Maintain personal hygiene/professional appearance |
In the case of a qualified individual with a documented disability, appropriate and reasonable accommodations will be made unless to do so would fundamentally alter the essential training elements, cause undue hardship, or produce a direct threat to the safety of the patient or student.
Accessibility Services Statement
The College has a legal obligation to provide appropriate accommodations for students with documented disabilities. If you have a disability and are seeking accommodations, you should contact the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) office (Sink Building; (828) 694-1813; access@blueridge.edu). Students can contact SAS at any time, however they are encouraged to initiate this process as soon as possible (prior to the start of classes and/or field experience).