UNM Los Alamos

Personal Care Attendant

Personal Care Attendant

After completing classroom time and passing competency tests, students will receive a UNM-LA certificate and be eligible to test for certification through the NM Direct Caregivers Coalition.

Students will learn to…

• Monitor vital signs and keep records,
• Move a patient from bed to a wheelchair,
• Walk with a walker or cane or with a gait belt,
• Care for and groom a bedridden patient,
• Feed a patient,
• Deal with tubes (ostomy, catheter, drainage tubes),
• Administer CPR and first aid.
 

Other areas of study include…

•Infection prevention,
• Basic anatomy and physiology,
•Common chronic or acute conditions,
•Human development and aging,
•Fall prevention,
•Changes in diet with aging,
•Hospice.

The five credit hour class, PCA 101, is a one semester course. 
Training includes 16 hours of clinical training at a nursing or rehabilitation facility.

Gainful Employment Disclosure Information

For more information, contact: Cynthia Peterson | cmp3156@unm.edu | 505-662-5919