Technical & Academic Skills Requirements

Technical Skills

• Physical Endurance, Mobility and Skill:
  • Stand (e.g., at client side during surgical or therapeutic procedure)
  • Sustain repetitive movements (e.g., CPR)
  • Walk fast or run (e.g., code blues/resusucitation)
• Physical Strength:
  • Push and pull 50 pounds (e.g. position patient, move equipment)
  • Support 50 pounds of weight (e.g. ambulate client)
  • Carry equipment/supplies
  • Use upper body strength (e.g., perform CPR, physically restrain a client)
• Hearing:
  • Hear normal speaking-level sounds (e.g., person-to-person report)
  • Hear faint body sounds (e.g., blood pressure sounds, assess placement of tubes)
  • Hear auditory alarms (e.g., monitors, fire alarms, call bells)
• Visual:
  • See objects up to 20 inches away (e.g., information on a computer screen, skin conditions)
  • Use depth perception and peripheral vision
  • Distinguish color and color intensity (e.g., color codes on supplies, flushed skin/paleness)
• Tactile:
  • Feel vibrations (e.g., palpate pulses)
  • Feel differences in surface characteristics (e.g., skin turgor, rashes)
  • Feel differences in sizes, shapes (e.g., palpate vein, identify body landmarks)
• Emotional Stability:
  • Adapt to changing environment/stress
  • Deal with the unexpected (e.g., client condition, crisis)
  • Perform multiple responsibilities concurrently
  • Cope with strong emotions in others (e.g., grief)

Academic Skills

• Math:
  • Comprehend graphic trends and read measurements
  • Calibrate equipment
  • Convert numbers to and from metric System (e.g., dosages)
  • Count rates (e.g., drips/minute, pulse, count duration of contractions, CPR, etc)
  • Read measurement marks (e.g., measurement tapes, scales)
  • Add, subtract, multiply, and/or divide whole numbers
• Analytical Thinking:
  • Process information from multiple sources
  • Evaluate outcomes; Solve problems; Prioritize tasks
  • Use long-term and short-term memory
• Critical Thinking:
  • Identify cause-effect relationship
  • Make decisions independently
  • Adapt decisions based on new information
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills:
  • Establish rapport with patients and interact with families and groups
  • Respect/value cultural differences in others
  • Negotiate interpersonal conflict
  • Listen/comprehend written/spoken word
  • Manage clinical information

For more information, please call Paulette Stanley at (505) 566-3851. Or send us an email at rt@sanjuancollege.edu.