nursing home activity director student orientation - Alamo Colleges

NURSING HOME
ACTIVITY DIRECTOR
STUDENT ORIENTATION

About the Program
· The Activity Director program is a 232-hour program which
includes lecture and practicum components.
· The class takes about 7 months to complete.
· You will take 3 classes: Long-Term Care Activity Directing I
(60 hours), Long-Term Care Activity Directing II (60 hours),
and Practicum in Gerontology (112 hours).
· Classes meets every Friday from 8AM-5PM.
· You must first apply and be accepted into the Activity
Director program before being allowed to register. Please
review your Activity Director application packet in detail
to become familiar with the application requirements.

Training Content
· In this course you will learn about:
· Adult and Aging Psychology
· Resident’s rights
· Documentation and MDS Regulations
· Music, art, and other forms of therapies
· Care planning – creating an activities calendar
· Aging process
· Sensitivity, death and dying, hospice care
· Much more….

Time Demands and Commitment
· The Activity Director program will include work and
preparation to be completed outside of the classroom.
You should be prepared to complete homework and
reading assignments on your own time, and prepare for
tests and quizzes outside of the classroom.
· On average, most students will require about 5-12 hours
per week of studying outside of the classroom to be
successful in this course.

Practicum
· You will attend practicum every 4 th week of class. Towards
the end of the program, you will only complete Practicum
hours, because you would be finished with all of your
classroom training.
· You will complete some of your hours at the facilities
where your instructors work, and some hours at other
facilities (the facility where you work, or a separate
facility).
· The Activity Director and the Administrator at the facility
where you do your Practicum must sign off on your hours.
· If you are the Activity Director where you work, then
you must find another Practicum site because you
cannot sign off on your own hours.

Application Process
· We only accept complete applications. If you submit an
incomplete application, it will be returned to you.
· Review of applications takes about 2 weeks so submit your
application in a timely manner.
· Review the Nursing Home Activity Director Application for
Admission packet in detail to learn about the application
requirements.

Communication
· In an effort to improve efficiency, and to adopt more
environmentally-friendly practices, we will not mail or send
anything to you via letter.
· All communications from the Academy of Health Career
Training will come in the form of email.
· Information about the status of your application will be
emailed to you.
· Your acceptance letter will be emailed to you.
· Information about your class, including any changes in the
class schedule, will be emailed to you.
· Therefore, an active email address is required. And it is your
responsibility to check your email regularly so as not to miss any
important information. If you do not have an email account you
can obtain one for free from Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, or another
provider.

ACES Account
· Once you are accepted to the program, you are then eligible
to register for classes.
· Upon registration, you will be given access to your ACES (Alamo
College Educational Services) account.
· In ACES, you:
· Pay for classes
· Search for, add and/or drop classes
· View and print your class schedule
· Check your Alamo Colleges email account (activated after
you register and pay for your classes)
· Update your personal information (phone, address, email,
etc)
· View campus events and announcements
· Much more…

Cost of the Program
• The Nursing Home Activity Director program costs $870.
• Long-Term Care Activity Directing I - $240
• Long Term Care Activity Directing II - $240
• Practicum in Gerontology - $390
• Textbooks and other supplies are not included in the cost of
course. These costs are in addition to the $870.

Financial Aid
· Financial aid is available in the form of a TPEG-CE grant for
students who qualify. Call (210) 486-2600 for more information
about financial aid.
· You must apply for financial aid at fafsa.ed.gov.
· Financial aid applications typically take 6 weeks to 4 months to
be processed, so apply early.
· This is a grant, meaning that you will not have to pay the money
back after successful completion of the program.
· Financial aid will pay for the Activity Director courses ($870)
100%; however, it does not pay for textbooks, scrubs, or other
supplies. It is your responsibility to obtain these items.
· The SPC Financial Aid Office is located on the 1 st floor of the
Welcome Center.

Paying for the Course
· If you are approved for financial aid, then they will pay your
tuition after they receive your TPEG-CE form, which can be
obtained directly from the financial aid office, or from the
Academy of Health Career Training. It is your responsibility to
ensure that you have secured funding for the course.
· If you are paying out-of-pocket, then you must submit payment
at least 3 business days prior to the first day of each class.
· Cash payments are taken at the Business Office on campus.
· Payments of any other form (check, credit card, debit card)
must be paid online through your ACES account.

Attendance Policy
· The Division of Workforce Development and Continuing
Education requires that each student be in attendance
for 80% of each class to be eligible for a Certificate of
Completion.
· Tardies will be counted towards the total amount of your
absences.

Dropping the Class
· If you cannot finish the course, you must follow the steps
below to drop yourself:
· If it is before the first day of any class, then you must
drop yourself through your ACES account.
· If it is on or after the first day of any class then you must
submit a written drop request to the Academy of
Health Career Training.
· You must drop the course if you cannot finish. Failure to
officially remove yourself from the class roster will result in
your receiving an ‘F’ at the end of the course.

Textbooks
· There is one (1) required textbook for the course, which
you must have by the first day of class.
· Care Planning Cookbook for Recreation and Activities
· 5 th edition (must be the 5 th edition)
· By Recreation Therapy Consultants
· About $55.00
· Brand new books can be purchased from the St. Philip’s
College Bookstore. They can also be ordered online from
the St. Philip’s College Bookstore at efollett.com.
· Used copies may be available from other retailers such as
L&M Bookstore, amazon.com, half.com, ebay.com, etc.

Parking Permits
· Any vehicle parked in an Alamo Colleges parking lot must
display a parking permit.
· They are available at the Business Office located in the
Welcome Center at a cost of $50 each.
· These can also be purchased online through your ACES
account, and you can then pick up your sticker from the
Business Office.
· They are good for one whole academic year, from
September 1 st through August 31 st of the following year.
· The cost of parking permits purchased after January 1 st of
any given academic year will be prorated.

Accommodations
· St. Philip’s College has a wide variety of services available
for students with documented physical, visual, and health
impairments, both temporary and permanent.
· Services are free to all St. Philip’s College students.
· If you require such accommodations, please inform the
Academy of Health Career Training before you start class
so we can provide you with further information.

Certification
· This class does not have a regulatory examination
requirement to receive certification.
· Upon successful completion of the program, you will
receive a Certificate of Completion from St. Philip’s
College, Division of Workforce Development and
Continuing Education.
· This Certificate fulfills the requirements of licensed longterm
care facilities to have a certified Activity Director
employed.

Contact Us
· Phone: (210) 486-2071 or (210) 486-2786
· Email: ecasillas7@alamo.edu or rhill5@alamo.edu
· Website: alamo.edu/spc/continuing-education
· Office: Science Building room 112

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MLK CAMPUS MAP
Watson Fine Arts Center (WFAC)
Fine Arts, Theatre, Kathryn Morgan Gallery
Applied Science Building (ASB)
Automotive Technology, Cisco Academy, Electronic Systems Tech,
Grants, Microsoft Academy, Institutional Advancement, Planning
and Research
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Laboratories, Health Sciences Education, Nursing Education
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Norris Technical Building (NTB)
English/Speech, Equity Center, Information and Communications
Technology, Mathematics, Read/Educ./Foreign Lang.,
Rose R. Thomas Writing Center, Tutoring Lab
Campus Center (CC)
Bookstore, Heritage Room, Tiger Café, Tourism, Hospitality &
Culinary Arts, US Post Office
Turbon Student Center (TURB)
Student Life
Bowden (BOWD)
Administrative Computer Technology, Accounting, Business Administration,
Business Management, Computer Science, Web Developer
Electrical Plant (EP)
Campus Police
Learning and Leadership Development Center (LLDC)
CE-Community Training Center, City of San Antonio One Stop Center
GED classes
Child Development Center (CDC)
Child Care Center
Tennis Courts
Future House of Pride
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Portable Buildings
1801 Martin Luther King Drive,
San Antonio, Texas 78203
(210) 486-2000
New Braunfels Avenue (West)
Gevers Street
Places of Interest
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E. Commerce Street (North)
P 2 3
Disability Parking
Emergency Phone
Open Computer Lab
Parking Lots
P 2 2
LLDC
CDC
Maryland Street
Dakota Street
Meerscheidt Street
Wyoming Street
P 1 P 2
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P 3
P 8
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● Students - 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14,
17, 20, 21, 22, 23
● Faculty/Staff - 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16
● Public Parking* - 4, 10, 13, 15
● Motorcycles - 4 (Designated Spots)
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P 5
TENNIS COURTS
P 4
EP
Nevada Street
P 9
P 6
Mittman Street
Martin Luther King Dr.
P 1 2
NTB
SCI
SLC
CC
WFAC
BOWD
P 10 P 11
*Campus police can issue a temporary parking permit for visitors. For more information call campus police at (210) 486-2999.
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TURB
Ferguson Street
Montana Street
CLR
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HFC
P 1 3
2
ASB
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WEC
CHP
P 1 5
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CEB
CP
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M
P 1 8
Walters Street
W
20
N
S
Maryland St.
P 14
Hedges St.
P 16
Stella St.
P 17
3
GB
E
Anderson Ave.
Updated by Michelle Vasquez, 6/04/10

ORIENTATION
COMPLETION VERIFICATION
I completed the mandatory online student orientation. I have had the
opportunity to ask questions about the content of the orientation, and I
understand the rules and procedures as stated in the orientation.
I understand that if I am found to be non-compliant with any of the rules
stated in the orientation, that it may be grounds for dismissal from the
program.
_______________________________________________
Signature of Applicant
________________
Date
______________________________________________
Print Name
________________
Date