After fourteen weeks of in-school and physical training, nearly thirty men and women have completed the first step in becoming certified health care providers as they received their Patient Care Assistant (PCA) certificates yesterday at their graduation.
Nursing Services Advisor Lillian Charlton said “the goal was to build on the participants’ existing managing skills while simultaneously exposing them to information and clinical skills consistent to their job functions, while exposing them to new work related information,” Ms. Charlton said.
She spoke during graduation ceremonies held at The Paul Farquharson Centre.
PCA assists​ the nurse in providing basic care and assistance to patients. These persons must be skilled in assisting with specific procedures, know basic emergency procedures, as well as be able to make quick observations of the patient’s condition and report the information to the nurse.
Due to multiplicity of duties, time constraint and competing patients’ needs, the nurse’s time spent with individual patients is limited. Therefore, this role requires that the PCAs be equipped with basic skills and knowledge which will enable them to observe and report the patients’ condition and any changes ,noted to the Registered Nurse.
Keynote speaker, senior pastor of Zion Baptist Church was Terrance G. Morrison who reminded the graduates that while at times they may seem a bit overwhelmed with their new duties, there are others strategically placed to ensure they are able to carry out their mandate without duress.
“All of us who deal with people, we feel that sense of being overwhelmed, but listen again to your theme…. Positioned to assist for the best healthcare outcomes; this means that you are not alone in this process.”

Pastor Morrison said “there are others strategically placed and also equipped to ensure that you are able to carry out the mandate without a hitch or without undue stress.

“Invariably, this demands that you foster healthy relationships and in the spirit of collegiality and cooperation that you carry out your vital responsibilities in the spirit of excellence,” he told the graduates.

The Baptist pastor further admonished the group to adopt these principles not only in life, but also in their new work environments as ethics for them to abide by.

He said “concentrate on being human; alter the environment with graciousness; respect boundaries and enter the workplace to be a blessing; such principles, the first letter of each word in the ‘phrased principle’, actually spells the word CARE.”

The Patient Care Assistant Programme is internationally recognized and prized for its innovative, modern approach to enhancing hospital based care across the Public Hospital Authority’s institutions. The fourteen week education programme started back in May.