AGING AND LONG-TERM SUPPORT ADMINISTRATION

ALTSA > Professionals & Providers > Training > CE > DSHS Materials as CE

Training Requirements & Classes - Using DSHS Materials as CE

How you can use materials DSHS has developed for long term care workers depends on the course.  See the courses listed below for more information.

Courses: Dementia, Mental Health, Developmental Disability Specialty and Nurse Delegation courses

In most cases, training hours from completing specialty and nurse delegation courses can be applied towards CE hours in the calendar year they were taken.   There are some exceptions to the calendar year restriction. 

Specialty training:

Specialty training cannot be applied towards CE when:

• The worker challenged the course.
• Specialty courses were taken as part of the 70 hours of basic training. 

Nurse Delegation:

If these courses were required to accept delegated tasks in the same year the worker completed basic training, up to 12 hours can be applied towards CE the next year.

How to document CE hours for these course

The DSHS training certificates from specialty and/or nurse delegation also serve as the CE training certificate when the worker applies their course hours towards CE. No DSHS CE approval codes are assigned to these courses.

Do:

• Teach these courses in their entirety with DSHS approved curriculum and instructors.
• Give the worker a DSHS specialty or nurse delegation training course certificate(s) if the worker passes the course and test.

Do not:

• Teach these courses unless you are a Training Program approved to teach them.
• List these courses in the CE approval form.
• Issue a separate CE training certificate.

Courses:  Basic training (Core basic and/or population specific training)

• A LTC worker CANNOT apply any of their original basic training hours towards CE. A core basic certificate or population specific DSHS training certificate cannot be used to apply hours towards CE.
• Portions of core basic certificate or population specific training can be submitted and approved for use as CE courses. Keep in mind:
  • An individual worker cannot repeat portions of basic training for CE unless the content is new to him or her, more advanced training on the same topic, or retraining is required for an employee action plan.  
  • Creating a bank of CEs that only mirrors basic training does not serve the intent or goal of CE.
• DSHS has created a Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving (RFOC) CE Course Packet that contains 13 individual CE courses created from RFOC. See Table 1 in the CE Approval Form  for a list of the 13 CE courses and the topics covered and to apply to use them.
• Table 1 in the CE Approval Form  is also where you can apply to offer the following DSHS courses as CE:
  • Navigating Through Challenging Behaviors
  • TBI - Strategies for Surviving and Thriving

Do:

• Submit the CE Approval Form to get approval to offer any of these DSHS materials as CE.

AFH Administrator Training (48 Hour Administrator Class)

The training hours can be applied as CE in the calendar year taken.

When it is possible to apply CE hours from one this course, the original course certificate serves as the required written documentation that the CE is approved by DSHS.  No DSHS CE approval code is required

AFHs food safety CE requirements

CE must include 30 minutes per year on safe food handling in adult family homes. 

You can use the 30 minute DSHS-Food Handling CE to meet this requirement.

The DSHS-Food Handling CE is part of the Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving (RFOC) CE Course Packet.  The RFOC CE Course packet contains 13 individual CE courses created from RFOC.   See Table 1 in the CE Approval Form  for a full list of the 13 CE courses included, all the topics covered, and to apply to get the DSHS-Food Handling CE approved to use for your staff.