Healthcare Core ADA Requirements

All healthcare students must meet the essential functions related to ADA Core Standards as outlined in the table. Applicants must submit a satisfactory physical examination that includes the ability to perform the essential functions related to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) core standards, which must be completed by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner.

Essential Functions Related to ADA Core Standards

Standard

Essential Activities/Tasks
(not all inclusive)

Critical thinking ability sufficient for clinical judgment and decision-making
  • Use relevant data to support the decision making process.
  • Identify priorities of care based on analysis of data.
  • Analyze and use assessment findings to plan care for patients and families.
  • Evaluate the plan of care and revise as appropriate.
  • Solve problems and make valid, rational decisions using logic, creativity, and reasoning.
  • Demonstrate ability to compute dosages and knowledge of pharmacology.

Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds
  • Establish rapport with patients and colleagues through speech, touch, and hearing.
  • Practice therapeutic (non-harmful) communication using speech, hearing, and judgment of appropriate responses.
  • Work effectively in small groups as team members and as a team leader.

Communication abilities sufficient for interaction with others in verbal, nonverbal, and written form
  • Communicate therapeutically with patients, families, and groups in a variety of settings.
  • Communicate pertinent information in the English language both verbally and in writing to appropriate persons.
  • Document data and nursing care completely and accurately using appropriate terminology.
  • Provide health teaching for patients, families and groups.

Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective care
  • Calibrate and use equipment such as reading numbers on measuring cups, syringes and adjusting flow rates with stopcocks.
  • Maintain sterile technique when performing sterile procedures.
  • Hold skin taunt with one hand while inserting needle in skin or vein with the other hand and perform other procedures requiring the use of two hands.
  • Maintain immobilization devices such as traction equipment and casts, feel for heat or wetness. Be able to use a computer keyboard.
  • Have good eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity to manipulate equipment, instrumentation, and medication as appropriate.

Environmental
  • Be exposed to infectious agents, chemicals, medications, blood and body fluids and communicable diseases.
  • Work in environmental temperatures determined by the patient and/or patient’s condition.
  • Be able to perform duties in potentially dangerous situations.

Auditory abilities sufficient to monitor and assess health needs
  • Be able to hear alarms, emergency signals, cries for help, and answer phones.
  • Distinguish changes in tone and pitch such as in listening to patients breathing characteristics.
  • Able to hear and interpret communication in stressful situations such as when more than one person is talking at a time, or when they are talking in a loud voice.

Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment and intervention
  • Palpation related to physical examination .
  • Perform therapeutic intervention (example, IV catheter \ insertion).

Physical abilities sufficient to move from room to room, maneuver in small spaces, and accommodate stairwell when necessary
  • Move around in patient’s rooms, workspaces and treatment rooms.
  • Perform physical activities necessary to do basic skills such as put on sterile gloves, attach blood pressure cuff on patient’s arm, hold one part of a patient’s body while performing an action on another part of the body.
  • Provide or assist with activities of daily living such as bed bath, oral hygiene, and positioning patients.
  • Transport and transfer patients from various areas to other areas using stretchers, wheelchairs, walkers. Paramedics must be able to walk and crawl in less than ideal conditions and terrain.
  • Lift at least 50 lbs. of weight. EMTs must lift 125 lbs independently or 250 lbs with assistance.
  • Respond quickly in an emergency.
  • Able to stand or walk for 75% of a shift.
  • Gather a minimum of 3-4 pieces of equipment and carry to patient’s room.

Visual abilities sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in care
  • Read numbers on dials, thermometers, gauges, measuring cups, etc.
  • Distinguish changes in color, size, and continuity of body parts.
  • Distinguish alterations in normal body activities such as breathing patterns, level of consciousness.
  • Observe safely features in environment such as water on the floor, obstacles in the path of patient.
  • Observe nonverbal responses of patients, families or coworkers.
  • Read small print.
  • Perform basic nursing skills (such as insertion of a catheter counting respirations, preparing and giving medications).

Demonstrate accountability and responsibility in all aspects of practice
  • Able to distinguish right from wrong, legal from illegal and act accordingly.
  • Accept responsibility for own actions.
  • Able to comprehend ethical standards and agree to abide by them.
  • Demonstrate flexibility.
  • Show concern for others.