Safety Habits and Standard Precautions

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Name: Exploration of Health Science Profesions and Career Planning

  Career Cluster/Program Name: Health Science

  Course Number: 8400210

  Course/Program Type: Middle School Orientation/Exploratory

  CIP Number: 03179999CE

  CTE-HLTH.68.8400210.7.2 Demonstrate safety habits that will prevent injury to health care workers, co-workers, and patients including proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control practices.

  Course Name: Exploration of Health Science Professions

  Career Cluster/Program Name: Health Science

  Course Number: 8400310

  Course/Program Type: Middle School Orientation/Exploratory

  CIP Number: 03179999EX

  CTE-HLTH.68.8400310.7.2 Demonstrate safety habits that will prevent injury to health care workers, co-workers, and patients including proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control practices.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson should be used with the Case Study "Sterile Processing Technician" (See CPALMS Resource ID 222010). It is the second lesson for this case study and can be preceded by “Medical Career Safety Scenarios” (See CPALMS Resource ID 221145). Subsequent lessons include: “Applying Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)” (See CPALMS Resource ID 221136) and “Safety Data Sheets” (See CPALMS Resource ID 221137).

• Career Connection

  
  

  Students will discuss safety habits used universally in health care. This prepares them to protect themselves in future medical careers.

  Students will further their planning and time management skills as they illustrate and describe the 5 Standard Precautions.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • identify safety habits and equipment used in healthcare.
  • incorporate academic vocabulary to describe the five Standard Precautions.
  • demonstrate safety habits that prevent illness/injury as they illustrate the five Standard Precautions.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with:

  • The habits/procedures and equipment that can be used to reduce exposure to pathogens and other safety concerns.
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE) and examples of commonly used PPE.
  • Handwashing as the best defense against pathogens.
  • The steps to properly wash hands.
  • The steps for donning and doffing gloves.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What habits and equipment are used in the medical field to protect healthcare workers (and patients)?
  • What are the five Standard Precautions?
  • How do the Standard Precautions protect healthcare workers?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. Pose the following bellwork/warm-up question: “How do medical professionals protect themselves?”
     • Call on students to share with the class.
       • Students may identify both habits/behaviors and equipment that can protect health care workers.
     • Record student ideas on the board. (It may be helpful to sort student ideas into habits/behaviors vs. equipment.)
       
  2. Review the case study “Sterile Processing Technician” (See CPALMS Resource ID 222010) with students. Then, discuss these questions, as a class:
     • What potential sources of danger exist for Donna and Jayden? (ex. pathogens, scalpels and other sharp tools, chemical cleaners, hot water/steam)
     • What do you know about the term “debris” from the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph? (Have students use context clues to determine meaning, if they do not know the word.)
     • What safety equipment might be used when cleaning surgical tools?
     • Do you think there is a policy or rule about what Jayden should do in the scenario? If so, what do you think the rule or policy would be?
     • What other safety habits or rules might be in place to keep sterile processing technicians safe?
  3. Introduce the Standard Precautions
     • Tell students that there are some safety practices/habits that are universally used in health care. They are known as the “Standard Precautions.”
     • Display the Standard Precautions Handout (See Attachments) and go over each of the five Standard Precautions with students.
       • Be sure to discuss the following vocabulary: sterile, sharp (n.), biohazard, puncture, asepsis, airborne, contaminated, pathogens,personal protective equipment (PPE), infection, barrier, exposure, droplets, dispose
     • Have students discuss why each precaution is important.
  4. Activity: Illustrating the 5 Standard Precautions
     • Tell students they will illustrate and use relevant vocabulary to explain each of the 5 Standard Precautions. (Handout will be provided.)
       
  5. Closure: Follow-up Discussion (The teacher should pose these questions to the class.)
     • Why is it important to follow the 5 Standard Precautions?
     • What could happen if a healthcare worker does not follow them?
     • How is each Standard Precaution relevant to the career of a Sterile Processing Technician?

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Lesson pacing: 10 minutes for warm-up discussion; 10 minutes for the case study and discussion questions; 10 minutes to introduce Standard Precautions; 25 minutes to illustrate and describe the standard precautions; 5 minutes for the follow-up discussion
  • The teacher will informally assess learning through group discussion.
  • The teacher can formally assess students using their Standard Precautions illustrations and descriptions.

• Optional

  
  

  Extension Ideas:

  • Have students share or present their illustrations/descriptions to a partner or small group of classmates.
  • optional writing prompts: (see attached “Standard Precautions Writing Prompts.”)
  • Have students write an expository essay to explain why it is important to follow the five Standard Precautions in healthcare settings.
  • “Think of the safety habits and Standard Precautions discussed in class today. Which safety habit is the most important? Give at least three reasons to support your claim.”
  • Play a “day in the life of a sterile processing technician” video for the class.