Polk Education Pathways

Patient Care Assistant

This program is designed to prepare students for employment as Patient Care Assistants, Nursing Aides and Orderlies, or Home Health Aides. The Patient Care Assistant Program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills. The program provides technical skill proficiency and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills.

This program prepares students for employment as cross-trained nursing assistants (SOC 31-1014 Nursing Assistants). This program offers a broad foundation of knowledge and skills, expanding the traditional role of the nursing assistant for both acute and long-term care settings.

If you have any questions related to this program, please contact dennis.rivera@polk-fl.net

This occupation has an average wage of $12.00 an hour, based on the Florida Occupational Employment and Wages for Polk County.

Patient Care Assistant:

Cours Number OCP Course Title Length
HSC0003 A Basic Healthcare Worker 90 hours
HCP0121 B Nurse Aide and Orderly (Articulated) 75 hours
HCP332 C Advanced Home Health Aide 50 hours
HCP0020 D Patient Care Assistant (Currently Not Offered) 75 hours