• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Tips from TSE: Stroke education for patient care technicians

Healthcare Training Weekly, November 6, 2009

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Healthcare Training Weekly!

Designation as a stroke center requires that all clinical and nonclinical hospital employees receive training on how to recognize a stroke and take appropriate actions. This was the challenge JFK Medical Center, a 500-bed acute care and rehab facility in Edison, NJ, undertook in 2007 when it pursued designation as a comprehensive stroke center by the New Jersey Health and Senior Services and a primary stroke center by The Joint Commission.

Why do nonclinical staff members need stroke education? A security officer, for example, might encounter a patient or family member exhibiting behaviors consistent with stroke. The officer must be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke and how to promptly summon qualified patient care providers.

Direct patient care providers need more in-depth education, depending on their roles and the amount of care they provide to stroke patients.

Educating an entire hospital is a daunting task. Donna Kozub, BSN, RN-BC, was assigned responsibility for educating non-licensed nursing department personnel, known as patient care technicians (PCT), in 2007.

Editor’s note: This excerpt was adapted from the November issue of The Staff Educator. Discover all the benefits of subscribing to The Staff Educator! 

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Healthcare Training Weekly!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive