If you want to work as a paid caregiver in Washington State, you need to complete the state Home Care Aide certification (HCA-C) requirements. That includes 75 hours of (DSHS Approved) training, at least some of which will be in person.
Below, we explain what to expect from the in-person portion of your caregiver training.
Caregiver Training Requirements in Washington State
Washington State requires certified Home Care Aides (HCAs) to have 75 hours of basic caregiver training. That includes orientation & safety training, core basic training, and population-specific training on Mental Health and Dementia.
Some training programs let you complete orientation & safety training online, along with parts of your core basic and population-specific training. However, there’s no substitute for in-person practice with certain caregiving skills. Your caregiver training program will likely require at least some in-person skills lab practice.
What to Expect From the In-Person Part of Your Training Program
At Sunrise Services, our caregiver training program includes two full days of in-person skills lab classes. You will be in these classes from 8:30 am to 5 pm.
This segment of training provides you with both practical caregiving skills and preparation for the state HCA-C certification exam. Your instructor may demonstrate skills like client bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, feeding, and transferring clients. It is essential to practice these skills so that you can perform them as safely and respectfully as possible.
During your in-person skill classes, you will be able to receive immediate feedback on your skills. Our goal is to prepare you to not only succeed in becoming certified, but also provide safe, effective care to your clients even under stress. The state exam will require you to demonstrate your ability to perform caregiving skills.
Sunrise’s skills lab classes are offered once a month at our Everett location and once a month at our Whidbey location. The classes are usually two days in a row in the middle of the week. You can check our training schedule to see upcoming skills lab sessions.
Depending on which courses you choose for the population-specific part of your training, you may also take these classes on site or virtually. At Sunrise Services, we typically offer training on caregiving for dementia and mental health-affected clients. You will need training in these specific areas if you plan to eventually complete the bridge program to become an NAC (Nursing Assistant-Certified). This training allows those with an HCA credential to take an accelerated NAC program of just 5 days. Two days of new information, two days of new skills, and one clinical day working with an instructor and a NAC mentor at a local care facility. Sunrise NAC students can sign up to test even before their program is over and test within a week from the ending of their program.
Caregiver Training at Sunrise Services
At Sunrise Services, all parts of our 75-hour Basic Home Care Aide Training program are DSHS-approved. Our program is partially online to help you fit training into your busy schedule and partially in-person to give you the hands-on skill practice you need.
Sunrise Training now supports students in the HCA course in scheduling their state testing for the skills and knowledge test required to earn the HCA credential. The instructors provide direction and computer assistance on how to apply for testing, and once you have applied, you can immediately schedule your exams, which greatly speeds up the process of earning the credential. Sunrise can also schedule testing directly with HCA students who took their program at other training locations. They simply need to call, provide their application number, Washington State ID, bring a hard copy of their 75-hour certificate, and they can be scheduled within a week of applying.
We also offer a variety of continuing education (CE) and specialty courses you can take after completing your 75-hour basic training. After you become an HCA-C, you will need to take 12 credits of CE classes each year, before your next birthday, to maintain your certification. Our CE courses help you meet the annual CE requirement for license renewal. Employees can pick what learning modality that works best for them. Some packages are all online, and some have an 8-hour class plus 4 credits online. Each year, Sunrise Caregiving Training develops new 12-credit bundles of new classes, so an employee never has to worry about accidentally retaking old classes. Sunrise keeps your earned certificates in an electronic file, so if you ever need copies for a new job or a state audit, we can email them to you very quickly.
Ready to get started on caregiver training? Enroll in our comprehensive caregiver training program today! Our DSHS-approved courses will give you the knowledge, hands-on experience, and training hours you need to become certified and excel as a caregiver.
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