(1) The seventy-hour long-term care worker basic training includes:

(a) The core competencies and skills that long-term care workers need in order to provide personal care services effectively and safely;

(b) Practice and demonstration of skills; and

(c) Population specific competencies.

(2) DSHS approved seventy-hour basic training curricula.

(3) On-the-job training, as described in WAC 388-71-0932, may be applied to seventy-hour long-term care worker basic training for an amount that must be approved by the department.

(4) The DSHS developed fundamentals of caregiving (FOC) or another department approved training may be used to teach core basic training but it must include enhancements. Additional student materials are required to ensure the enhancements are well planned and documented for students. Materials must be submitted for approval and approved per WAC 388-71-1026. Examples of enhancements include, but are not limited to:

(a) More time for workers to practice skills including:

(i) The mechanics of completing the skill correctly;

(ii) Client centered communication and problem solving associated with performing the skill;

(iii) The different levels of care required for each skill including independent, supervision, limited, extensive, and total;

(iv) Working with assistive devices associated with a skill.

(v) Helpful tips or best practices in working through common client challenges associated with a skill; and

(vi) Disease specific concerns or challenges associated with a skill.

(b) Augmenting or adding additional materials, student activities, videos or guest speakers that:

(i) More deeply reinforce and fortify the learning outcomes required for basic training;

(ii) Ensure each student integrates and retains the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality basic personal care; and

(iii) Prepares workers for the certification testing environment and process.

(c) Enhancements are not materials or activities that are one or more of the following:

(i) Are out of the scope of practice for a long-term care worker such as content clearly written for registered nurses;

(ii) Are identical to, or a direct replacement of, those already included in FOC;

(iii) Do not reinforce Washington state laws associated with client rights and client directed care;

(iv) Long-term care workers are not paid to provide; and

(v) Are written above a high school reading level.

(5) The delivery mode of the seventy-hour long-term care worker basic training may be either in-person instruction or a hybrid of online and in-person modules. One hour of completed classroom instruction or other form of training (such as a video or online course) equals one hour of training.

(a) Online modules must be an instructor led class, such as a webinar, or an online interactive self-paced class that provides clear instructions on how students get questions answered during the course and adheres to the DSHS online class standards posted on DSHS's website.

(b) The in-person portion of hybrid modules must be no less than twelve hours of the total basic training hours and include in-person instruction on the personal care assistance tasks supporting activities of daily living, commonly referred to as skills training.

(6) The training entity must establish a way for the long-term care worker to ask the instructor questions. An instructor or representative must be available within twenty-four hours during the business week.

(7) There is no challenge test for basic training.