COVID-19 Nasopharyngeal Sample Collection

Red River College has launched a new micro-credential course to train specific groups of health-care students and health-care professionals in safe COVID-19 sample collection procedures and ultimately help increase the COVID-19 sample collecting capacity for Manitoba Public Health.

The tuition-free course starts Monday, October 19 and will train you in safe COVID-19 sample collection procedures with essential theory delivered online and a hands-on lab delivered in person.

Course Information

COVID-19 nasopharyngeal sample collection This micro-credential focuses on nasopharyngeal sample collection, which is an important part of identifying individuals with COVID-19 to assist in the pandemic response. Students will become familiar with safe sample collection procedures. This will include a review of COVID-19 and its causative agent, the anatomy and physiology of the nasopharynx, and best practices when working with clients and samples.

The course is non-credit and consists of a three-hour theory component (running Monday and Tuesday) and a two-hour hands-on lab conducted in person (running Wednesday through Friday) to demonstrate competency in performing the skills required.

This course is being offered to meet the immediate need of creating a pool of trained individuals to collect nasopharyngeal samples, playing an important part in the outbreak response. This course is designed to be delivered in its entirety over one week, including the theory and skills components.

What are Micro-credentials?

Micro-credentials are shareable endorsements of knowledge, skills or competencies gained through the successful completion of a defined course of study.

A micro-credential describes a specific competency or defined set of knowledge, skills and abilities and identifies the standard or level of proficiency required. It identifies the end result of learning or what an individual should know and be able to do to meet an established standard.

If an individual is successful in the mastery of the competency, a sharable digital badge is awarded. The digital badge is created to house details about the assessed learning or competence. The details include learning outcomes, assessment criteria, level of competence or proficiency required and verification by a subject matter expert and/or institution. These details may be viewed when the individual shares this badge with employers, on a resume, LinkedIn profile, and other social media platforms.

Modules

Goals and learning outcomes are provided with each of the course’s modules.

Intro Module

Module 1: COVID-19

Module 2: A & P

Module 3: PPE and Hand Hygiene

Module 4: Procedure

Learning outcomes:

Apply knowledge of emergency health situation to recognize and respond to respiratory distress or other emergent client health status according to standard operating procedures at COVID-19 Testing Site
Apply knowledge of the theory and principles underlying performance of nasopharyngeal swab according to evidence-based practices
Demonstrates the importance of educating the client during the health-care encounter about plan of care during the procedure and how to prevent COVID-19 following the procedure

Module 5: COVID-19 Samples: From Collection and Beyond

Module 6: Hands-on Lab

Eligibility

The course will be available to:

students in at least the second year of one of the following regulated health professions:
- registered nursing;
- licensed practical nursing;
- registered psychiatric nursing; and
- medicine at the University of Manitoba, including medical students and physician assistant students;
students enrolled in an approved paramedicine or respiratory therapy program;
people qualified to practice in one of the following regulated health professions in jurisdictions outside Manitoba or Canada (based on the presentation of valid credentials):
- registered nursing;
- licensed practical nursing;
- registered psychiatric nursing; and
- medicine;
health care aides;
medical laboratory technologists;
occupational therapists;
physiotherapists; and
pharmacists.

Nursing professionals (RNs, LPNs and RPNs) who are qualified to practice within Canada and interested in refreshing their skills are also encouraged to take the course.

Individuals who complete the course will only be able to perform COVID-19 swabbing in RHA- or government- contracted sites.

Proof of eligibility will be required within two business days of registration and prior to attending the skills lab. Scanned or emailed copies of admission requirements will be accepted. Emailed copies can be sent to ceadvisor@rrc.ca.

Admission Requirements

Those working in the health-care field will be required to present proof of employment in the field, a certificate of graduation, or registration or a licence with the regulatory body for that profession.

Students will be required to present proof of enrolment or registration in a Manitoba post-secondary education program, including year of study (where applicable).

Health professionals qualified to practice in jurisdictions outside Manitoba or Canada will be required to present proof of degree or registration or a licence with the regulatory body from an outside jurisdiction (current or lapsed).

English Language Assessment

English as an additional language applicants must meet the following English language requirements. Proof of the completed English Language Assessment is not required.

English Language Assessment	Minimum Required Levels
(L – Listening, S – Speaking, R – Reading, W – Writing)	L	S	R	W
CanTEST (Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees) RRC Institutional or Official CanTEST accepted.	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5
IELTS – Academic (International English Language Testing System)	6	6	6	6
CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark)	7	7	7	7
TOEFL-iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – internet Based Test) To meet the needs of students who are unable to take the TOEFL iBT® test at a test center due to public health concerns, ETS is temporarily offering the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test in selected areas.	20	24	22	22

Communication skills are critical for success in the health-care field. Students will be assessed/graded on their communication skills during the lab portion of this course. A student’s ability to communicate clearly will impact their success in this course.

Register

NOTE: All sections are full and course registration is currently closed. Sign up for notifications.

Course sections run during the following dates:

Section 1: Oct. 19-23, 2020 — eligible Winnipeg residents only
Section 2: Oct. 26-30, 2020 — eligible Winnipeg residents only
Section 3: Nov. 2-6, 2020 — eligible Manitoba residents

The three-hour theory runs Monday and Tuesday and the two-hour hands-on lab runs Wednesday through Friday.

View full section details

Complete the web form below to be notified when the course is available.

Additional Information

Questions about the course can be directed to Red River College by calling 204.694.1789 or emailing cde@rrc.ca.

Part-time and Online Education