Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This course fulfills the requirements of the Advanced Management Course (MEPAP II) of the national Certification Council of Activity Professionals (NCCAP), and is required for the Activity Director and Activity Consultant Certificates of Completion in the Activity Professional Career Pathway.

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

1. Work as an activity professional manager or consultant in long term care facilities, adult daycare and community settings
2. Meet standards of practice in designing, administering, and evaluating activity programs, including financial and human resources
3. Design, administer, and evaluate community relations and marketing policies, volunteer programs and other community resources, and fund-raising and grant proposal writing
4. Meet eligibility standards for certification as an Activity Director Certified or Activity Consultant Certified from the NCCAP, when course is combined with academic, continuing education, and work experience meeting ADC or ACC criteria.

All course projects must be completed at an approved facility in which at least 50% of the facility population is 60 years or older, under the guidance of a qualified mentor. Projects include:

• Management Theory Project: a research project illustrating management and leadership styles through the planning, organizing, staffing, evaluation, budgeting and time management of an activity project.
• Leadership Project: an applied project in which a student designs activities and processes for an activity department, based on a mission statement developed by the student
• Advocacy and Resident Rights Project: Based on federal guidelines of resident rights, the students will develop a form to monitor rights within their facility, give an in-service on resident rights and conduct a resident council meeting, documented by video.
• Time/Duty Management Project: Based on a review of all activity procedures and policies, the student will write job descriptions, construct a time table and task performance sheet, indicating staffing and use of volunteers, and assess the plan in terms of the activity department mission statement.
• Staff Duties/Time Management Project: Based on a review of job descriptions for activity staff and volunteers, student will construct a task list, daily assignments, and time blocks for all resident groups, and evaluate how staff time and duties contribute to or distract from the activity department mission statement.
• Staffing Management/Personnel Relationships Project: Student will construct a personnel and hiring policy, including interview procedures, job orientation and job performance evaluation, all assessed for fairness and compliance with federal laws and regulations.
• Communication Project: Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, student will create a system of communication among staff and between shifts, including the use of communication books, bulletin boards, sign-in and check off sections, team meetings, and documentation procedures.
• Documentation Outcomes Project: Student will develop tracking forms for monthly and quarterly documentation of activities, including assessment of effectiveness and interest, and complying with state and federal regulations. Documentation will also include a resident survey and assessment of the program for resident right applications and quality of programming fitting the interests and abilities of all residents.

In addition to the specific projects indicated in Outcomes Assessment, this course focuses on the following:

• Management philosophy and theory related to corporate structures and applied to the activity profession.
• An emphasis on leadership styles and effectiveness, planning strategies, organization, staffing, directing and controlling issues.
• Importance of mission statements and company value systems
• Relationships among staff and personal effectiveness related to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Legal requirements in staff relationships and job descriptions, productivity and disciplinary actions
• Dealing with personnel and policy or other ethical situations
• Policy and procedure writing
• Writing job descriptions, designing flow chart of task related projects and time management for personnel and project completion
• Importance of motivation and coaching techniques
• Problem solving issues related to activity departments and positive outcomes for residents
• Effective communications (internal and external)
• Evaluation techniques for staff and programming
• Quality control assessment for an activity department, activity program, and activity staff performance.
• Skills and training methods used by activity consultants for best possible outcome and quality assurance
• Activity Consultant responsibility and professional level requirements for career advancement.

INSTRUCTOR QUALIFICATIONS: Instructor must hold current Activity Consultant Certified (ACC) status with the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals (NCCAP) and be qualified to teach the MEPAP-II program meeting NCCAP standards.

Instructor Qualifications are on file in the office of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.