How to train to become a care home assistant practitioner

In just a short space of time, the role of the Care Home Assistant Practitioner (CHAP) has proven itself to be invaluable to the care sector.

Our care homes are currently under intense pressure due the national shortage of nurses, an ageing workforce, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Training experienced care assistants in the sector to become CHAPs helps to support overworked nurses and ensure care homes can continue providing high levels of care to their residents.

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re considering training to become a care home assistant practitioner.

What is a care home assistant practitioner?

Assistant practitioners are healthcare professionals who are trained to carry out many of the same tasks as registered nurses.

In care homes, experienced senior members of the care team may be offered CHAP training to allow them to progress in their career and get more involved with the clinical and management side of the residents’ care.

CHAPs must work under the direction of their registered colleagues but are trained to a level that allows them to carry out tasks without supervision.

As well as providing care home residents with general care, some of the additional tasks that CHAPs may carry out once they have completed their training include writing care plans, managing medication, canulation, and catheter and stoma care.

CHAPs sit at level 4 of the career framework.

Care home assistant practitioner training criteria

Those completing CHAPs training are usually already experienced, senior members of staff working within a care home who wish to progress their career and start taking on more responsibility at work.

To qualify for CHAPs training you will need to have already completed a level 3 healthcare qualification.

Why train to become a care home assistant practitioner?

Just some of the reasons care assistants choose to complete CHAPs training include:

Help with skills shortages in the care sector – The CHAP role helps to bridge the skills gap between registered nurses and care assistants, providing additional support for nurses in a sector that is currently overwhelmed.

Gain greater job satisfaction – By progressing your career, challenging yourself, and developing your skills and knowledge you will build your confidence and feel more fulfilled at work.

Move up the pay scale – Learning new skills and gaining greater responsibility means moving up the pay scale at work.

Progress your career – Many of the skills learned during CHAPs training are transferable if you wish to progress your career to a different setting in the future.

How long does CHAPs training take?

CHAPs training is generally carried out over 7 to 12 weeks depending on the course you enrol on.

The CHAP training course that we provide here at CBAT entails 7 days of intensive training that is carried out over a 7 week period.

Training to become a care home assistant practitioner with CBAT

Our popular CHAPs training programme is trusted by care homes nationwide.

The course is comprehensive and covers everything you need to know to confidently carry out a variety of clinical and care management duties in a care home setting.

The main areas that the course covers include:

•  Clinical observations.
• Tissue viability, dressings, wounds, and pressure relief.
• Venepuncture and blood sugar monitoring.
• Administration of medication and syringe driver.
• Catheter and stoma care.
• Dysphagia.
•  Diabetes management.

We use only the most experienced and qualified trainers, all of whom possess extensive practical experience.

Our team can also offer bespoke training should you require it, ensuring that the course you pay for is the perfect fit for the individual so that you receive the best value possible for your money.

Complete your CHAP training online

We offer both classroom-based training and online training.

Our offices are based in Southport for those that prefer to train in-person. We also offer convenient online lessons in our virtual classrooms.

Completing your training in an online classroom is cost-effective and time-efficient as it doesn’t require any travel or travel expenses.

Our virtual classroom can be accessed from any location with an internet connection, making it easy to fit your training around any existing work and personal commitments with minimal disruption.

Choosing online training over classroom-based training is also the safest option during the Covid-19 pandemic. Avoiding meeting people in person for training sessions helps to protect not only the student and trainer, but also care home colleagues and residents.

Here at CBAT we’ve worked hard to ensure that you will receive the same high quality engaging training experience in our virtual classroom as you would in person.

Our virtual classrooms can be accessed using a computer, tablet, or smartphone connected to the internet. Our sessions are run live on Zoom using advanced virtual classroom technology. The technology we use allows students to interact in real-time with the trainer, complete assessments on-screen, and even breakaway into smaller groups to perform group activities.

If you’re ready to book your place on our online CHAPs training course, then you can do so on our website here. Alternatively, for more information about any of our courses, or to discuss your training requirements in more detail, you can give our team a call on 01772 816 922.

If you are looking for Care Work, you can find suitable placements on https://uk.jooble.org/jobs-live-in-carers-per-week