DSHS Curriculum and Materials Available

Available DSHS Developed Curriculum and Materials

The following are the DSHS developed training materials available for LTC worker training. Please note that the Orientation, Safety Training and Navigating Through Challenging Behaviors training materials are now available in several languages.

Course What’s Available
Orientation

Training materials include all WAC required orientation topics.  Materials can be used in their entirety or parts used to supplement existing orientation materials. 

Safety Training

Training materials include all WAC required safety training topics.  Materials can be used in their entirety or parts used to supplement existing safety training materials.

Fundamentals of Caregiving, 3rd Edition
Fundamentals of Caregiving, 3rd Edition Facilitator’s Materials
Navigating Through Challenging Behaviors (3 hour RFOC enhancement)

DSHS has developed a three hour enhancement on the topic of Navigating Through Challenging Behaviors curriculum (PDF)

Nurse Delegation Core

Learner's Workbook with Companion Video:

Order printed copies.

Nurse Delegation Special Focus on Diabetes

Order printed copies.

Note:  As of 2021 DSHS will no longer be providing videos for this training.

TBI – Strategies for Surviving and Thriving This curriculum contains a student workbook and companion DVD.  The DVD materials are now found on YouTube. 
Skills Procedure Checklist
Portable Orders for Life Saving Treatment (POLST)

A 1.5 hour course on Portable Orders for Life Saving Treatment (POLST) for both Assisted Living Facilities and Adult Family Homes.

DSHS RFOC Enhancements Available

A LTC worker must receive a blend of core basic training and population specific training.  RFOC can be used as the foundation of core basic training but it must be enhanced with additional hours of skills practice time, student activities and student materials.

The following are DSHS developed curriculums that can be used as an enhancement to RFOC or part of another core basic training.  Learn more about creating RFOC enhancements in the new CBRFOC Instruction Sheet.

Curriculum What is this? How Available
Navigating Challenging Behaviors Three hour preapproved student materials including student activities on handling challenging behaviors when working with clients.  Navigating Challenging Behaviors (PDF)
Medication Assistance Activities Two hour Medication Assistance Tic-Tac-Toe challenge game.  This curriculum is designed to help students prepare for the HCA skills test.  It is DSHS developed and pre-approved as an enhancement. Medication Assistance Challenge Game (ZIP)

DSHS Population Specific Training Available

The dementia, mental health and developmental disability specialty courses can be used to meet the population specific training requirements and applied towards the 70 hour requirement.

Licensed AFHs/ALFs WITH DSHS specialty training requirements
There are additional DSHS requirements for LTC workers who must take specialty training to meet licensing requirements. In this case,

  • Instructors must meet the additional instructor qualifications to teach specialty training.
  • The course must be taught in its entirety.
  • The worker must take and pass the DSHS competency test for that specialty training.

AFHs must now also use DSHS approved curriculum and have workers pass the DSHS competency tests for LTC workers taking specialty training.  This has already been a requirement for ALFs and remains.

AFHs/ALFs or Home Care Agencies WITHOUT specialty training requirements
The options of how to use the curriculum are more flexible if the course is NOT being used to meet AFH/ALF licensing requirements.  In this case,

  • You can choose to use any part or all of the student materials as population specific training.  
  • Instructors have to meet the core basic/population specific instructor requirements – not the additional specialty requirements.
  • The DSHS competency test is not given.