Direct Care Staffs’ Experiences and Perceptions of Person-Centered Care Training

Many long-term care (LTC) facilities within the United States have replaced the institutional model of care with one that accepts person-centered care (PCC) as the guiding standard of practice. Quality training ensures that direct care staff have the skills and the knowledge in the delivery of quality PCC. However, many nurses and nursing assistants have expressed the desire for further training in PCC practices to effectively deliver quality care. The purpose of this study was to explore the types and length of training and education provided based on the perceptions and experiences of direct care staff related to their implementation of PCC practices. The theoretical framework for this study consisted of Rogers’ PCC approach theory and philosophy. A qualitative interpretative phenomenological design was used to examine the perceptions of training and education of 20 certified nursing assistants using semistructured interviews. Once the interviews were conducted and transcribed, the data were coded into superordinate themes that stemmed from participant responses. Themes of PCC practices, teaching modalities, learner type, length, and introduction of training were identified as a result of the data analysis. The data also revealed that it is important for LTC facilities to be aware of how they are providing PCC education and training to their staff so that they may provide their residents with quality individualized care that emphasizes the whole person. Study findings may inform LTC administrators, leaders, and managers on the deliverance of effective training and educational practices when implementing PCC models within their facilities. The results may also spur national LTC organizations to refocus their core beliefs, values, and culture towards a culture that considers the whole person