Clinical Observations – Level 3 – Online CPD Course

Clinical Observations Training Course –  Online CPD Accredited Training Course for Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) – Patient Clinical Observations Training

Welcome to our online clinical observation training course for healthcare and social care providers. Our online clinical observations training courses (sometimes referred to as “vital signs”; “patient observations” or just “Obs”) are developed in line with the latest UK legislation and meet the requirements set out by the National Health Service (NHS), Skills for Health’s UK Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF), the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Skills for Care, UK Health and Safety Executive and other professional and regulatory bodies.

How to access your clinical observations training course

Follow the easy steps below to purchase and access your clinical observations training course:

1. Pay for your courses (All major debit and credit cards accepted)
2. Once you have registered you will receive your login details within a few minutes
3. You will then be able to reset your password, log in and take your selected online course (s)
4. On completion, you will be asked to complete an end of course assessment (minimum 80% to pass)
5. You can immediately download, save or print your CPD Accredited Certificate
6. Let us know what you think of your online course, leave us a review!

Course aims 

Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) and other clinical staff working in NHS Trusts and private sector hospitals and clinics are now required to show evidence that they have completed training and show that they are competent to monitor, record basic clinical observations and escalate patient clinical observations. 

This patient clinical observations training course was designed for registered nurses, healthcare assistants and other clinical staff who are looking to improve their clinical skills and knowledge and will enable them to be employed within hospital environments. In this vital signs e-learning course, you understand why, when and how observations are taken, the normal ranges for each clinical observation/vital sign and how to record as well as the action to be taken when you find observations outside of the normal ranges, including:

• Understand the anatomy and physiology that relates to clinical observations
• Learn about normal and abnormal clinical observations/vital signs
• Understand the clinical significance of abnormal vital sign readings
• Perform a range of clinical observations including:
  • Pulse
  • Blood pressure
  • Temperature
  • Respiratory rate
  • Oxygen saturation
  • Blood glucose measurements

Course objectives

The objectives of this patient clinical observations course are to introduce nursing staff, healthcare support workers and adult social care workers to the basic techniques used to observe and monitor the condition of patients and individuals using services, including pain and discomfort levels.

• Explain the levels of response
• Understand the ‘Glasgow Coma Score’ system
• Understand eye and pupil responses and how to assess breathing
• Know how to monitor and read a person’s pulse and what to look out for
• Know how to measure blood pressure and what the readings mean
• Understand methods for taking temperature
• Understand how to assess skin
• Know how to record observations
• Have an overview of advanced monitoring techniques

What is covered in this online clinical observations training course?

This online patient clinical observations training course covers the following:

• Introduction into clinical observation skills
• Basic clinical observations
• Patient consent
• Hand hygiene (infection prevention and control)
• Breathing/respiratory rate
• Pulse rate (heart rate)
• Body temperature
• Blood pressure
• Oxygen saturation levels (and oxygen therapy)
• Peak flow testing
• Blood glucose testing
• Urine testing
• Body mass index
• Complete a basic pain assessment
• (AVPU) Consciousness assessment
• Assessing patients’ skin
• Supporting medication administration
• Sepsis
• Additional online learning resources

Who is the online clinical observations training course for?

This clinical observations e-learning course should be completed by those who work in health and social care services including:

• Registered Nurses
• Healthcare Assistants (HCAs)
• Clinical Support Workers
• Health & Social Care Support Workers 
• Nursing Auxiliaries
• Midwives
• Paramedics
• Allied Health Professional
• Emergency Care Practitioners.
• NHS bank nurses, AHPs and care staff
• Locum nurses and HCAs
• Locum allied health professionals (AHPs)
• Agency nurses
• Agency workers
• Support workers
• Care assistants

Requirements for patient clinical observations training course

To complete this patient clinical observations e-learning course, you will need access to a computer device, e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone device

Career path

Our patient clinical observations training course are suitable for:

• Those who are looking to improve their knowledge of the subject area
• Those whose jobs require periodic continuing professional development (CPD)
• Those who need to show evidence as part of their professional registration requirements, e.g., doctors, nurses and allied health professionals

Assessment and certification

At the end of this patient clinical observations e-learning course, learners will be required to complete an online assessment. On successful completion of the knowledge test (80% pass mark), learners will be able to download a FREE CPD certificate that is valid for one year.

Course accreditation

The content of this online clinical observations training course has been independently certified as conforming to universally accepted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.

Payment and additional information

After adding your patient clinical observations e-learning course (s) to the shopping cart (by selecting Add to Cart), you will be able to make a secure payment using all major credit and debit cards.

Once you have purchased your clinical observations online training course (s), you will be sent a confirmation e-mail. You will then receive a link and login details to access your e-learning course (s) within a few minutes of purchase

What are clinical observations?

Regular measurement and documentation of physiological observations (i.e. clinical observations) are essential requirements for patient assessment and the recognition of clinical deterioration. It is important for clinical staff to understand the implications of abnormal observations, which may indicate a deteriorating patient, and the need for an appropriate course of action to be taken. 

Are patient observations the same as “clinical observation?”

Patient clinical observations should not be confused with “clinical observation (or shadowing – these terms are normally used interchangeably) which is NOT the same thing as volunteering, direct patient care, and other hands-on experience. Clinical observation/shadowing is exactly what it sounds like: “you are observing a healthcare professional provide care to patients or clients in a clinical setting, such as a hospital, therapy clinic, long term care facility, private practice, and so on. Through clinical observation experiences, you see what the day-to-day responsibilities of a given health career might involve within a given healthcare setting”

Clinical skills required to undertake patient clinical observation 

Nursing and other healthcare staff spend a lot of time with patients/clients in their role as part of the health care team. This means they will have lots of opportunities to observe patients/clients, to monitor how they are progressing and to spot any problems early.

Part of their observing and monitoring will involve using a set of clinical skills and performing basic and advance clinical observations. Understanding how to, for instance, assess patients’/clients’ breathing, pulse rate, blood pressure and body temperature, and what your assessments mean for their welfare, are key skills you will acquire form this comprehensive e-learning course. Clinical staff should also have an understanding of the common medications that are used in their clinical settings, and how those medications may affect patient observations/vital signs. 

Why are patient clinical observation important?

In the course of your work as a nurse or health care assistant, you will take hundreds, possibly thousands, of clinician observations and other vital signs. It is probably no exaggeration to say that the main reason for all of these observations is to spot a change in the patient’s condition quickly and accurately – a rise in body temperature that might denote an infection, or a reduction in the amount of fluid taken that might indicate a general deterioration, for instance. We then report these observations to the registered person in charge and he or she is able to determine the next steps – whether to escalate the concern to the rest of the team or continue (or increase) the observation schedule.

But we don’t need to rely on specific times and specific activities to observe for changes in patient’/clients’ conditions. We should be observing all the time for these changes.

What is the Skills for Health’s UK ‘Core Skills Training Framework’ (CSTF)?

There is increasing recognition that there are wide variations in the quality and consistency of healthcare training provided across the UK. To minimise these challenges, LearnPac Systems works with various UK health and social care organisations to develop statutory and mandatory training courses in line with Skills for Health’s UK Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF).

This includes mandatory training courses in the Skills for Health’s UK Core Skills Training Framework – CSTF Statutory Mandatory Training Subject Guide Version 1.3, Skills for Health Clinical Care UK Core Skills Training Framework Subject Guide April 2015 and other awareness courses for health and social care workers.

This online patient clinical observations training course was developed in line with the CSTF learning outcomes.

Why choose our accredited e-learning courses?

The benefits of using our accredited e-learning courses in the workplace include:

• National Skills Academy for Health national delivery partner
• UK accredited e-learning provider
• An approved UK training centre
• Ofqual accredited qualifications
• Nationally recognised CPD certificates
• Free blended learning environment to support existing training
• Access your online training immediately
• Highly interactive e-learning portal
• Substantial cost reductions (no travel fees & other expenses)
• Embrace the benefits of eLearning for healthcare providers
• Significant man hour reductions
• Online training only takes as long as the learners needs
• Low carbon footprint through e learning
• Over 200 online CPD courses
• Repository of online learning materials and assessment
• Fully qualified and experienced trainers, instructors and assessors
• Subject matter experts and content developers
• Convert your existing classroom courses to e-learning courses
• All training courses based on the latest guidance and best practice

Clinical Observations Training Course –  Online CPD Accredited Training Course for Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) – Patient Clinical Observations Training