Admission and Discharge

  • Author

    Health Care Ed

    Overview

    Every healthcare journey begins and ends with a transition — and how those transitions are handled can profoundly impact a patient's physical well-being, emotional comfort, and overall experience of care. For nursing assistants and direct care workers, the processes of admission, transfer, and discharge represent some of the most critical moments in a patient's or resident's time within a healthcare setting.
    This course is designed to equip nursing assistants with the knowledge, skills, and professional confidence needed to carry out admissions, transfers, and discharges with competence, compassion, and accuracy. From the moment a new patient arrives at the facility to the day they are discharged or moved to another care setting, the nursing assistant plays an indispensable role in ensuring that each step is handled with dignity, clear communication, and strict adherence to facility protocols.

    The admission process is far more than paperwork — it is a person's first introduction to a new and often intimidating environment. Patients and residents may arrive feeling anxious, confused, or frightened. Families may be worried about their loved ones' care. In this context, the nursing assistant serves as a vital bridge between the clinical team and the person receiving care, helping to ease fears, orient individuals to their surroundings, and gather important baseline information that informs the entire care plan.
    Equally important are transfers and discharges — events that require careful coordination, thorough documentation, accurate measurement and reporting, and above all, respectful and transparent communication with the patient, family, and healthcare team. Errors during these transitions — whether in documentation, vital signs recording, or personal belongings management — can have serious consequences for patient safety and continuity of care.

    This course aligns with Continuing Education (CE) standards for nursing assistants and covers all essential components of the admission, transfer, and discharge process, including room preparation, height and weight measurement, vital signs collection, patient orientation, personal belongings documentation, and appropriate responses to special situations such as a patient who wishes to leave without medical authorization.
    Whether you are new to healthcare or an experienced caregiver seeking to refresh and strengthen your skills, this course will deepen your understanding of your professional responsibilities during care transitions and empower you to deliver the highest standard of person-centered care.

    Learning Objectives

    By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
    • Explain the key concepts, purposes, and procedural steps involved in the admission, transfer, and discharge of patients and residents in a healthcare setting.
    • Identify the nursing assistant's specific roles and responsibilities during each phase of the admission process, including room preparation, data collection, vital signs measurement, and patient orientation.
    • Demonstrate proper techniques for accurately measuring and recording a patient's height and weight using various types of scales, following established safety and consistency guidelines.
    • Apply effective communication strategies and person-centered care principles when supporting patients, residents, and families during admissions, room transfers, and discharges.
    • Recognize situations requiring immediate reporting to the nurse, including unauthorized departures, changes in patient condition during transfer, and concerns related to personal property or patient rights.

    Course contents

    Author

    Health Care Ed
    Registered Nurse and healthcare educator dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals through practical, compliance-focused continuing education designed to improve patient care and professional confidence.

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