Specialty training — dementia, mental health, and AFH work
2 min readWAC 388-112A-0400 — What is specialty training and who is required to take it?
If your client (or the home you work in) has residents with dementia or mental illness, additional DSHS specialty training may be required beyond basic training — your employer determines which applies; complete it within the required window.
- 1Specialty trainings exist for: dementia care, mental health, and (as expanded specialties) traumatic brain injury and substance use disorder.
- 2Who needs it: workers serving clients with those conditions — commonly in Adult Family Homes; your employer or the care plan tells you which specialty applies.
- 3Timing: specialty training has its own completion deadline after you begin serving such a client — confirm your specific deadline with your employer.
- 4Where: DSHS-approved courses via CareLearn, SEIU Benefits (for represented workers), or approved community instructors.
- 5Nurse delegation is separate: Core (and Diabetes for insulin) training is required before performing any delegated task, on top of any specialty.
- 6Keep your certificates — employers and DSHS can ask for proof.
Specialty requirements vary by setting and role — this page gives the map, but WAC 388-112A and your employer give the binding specifics for your situation.
What to remember
- —Specialty trainings exist for: dementia care, mental health, and (as expanded specialties) traumatic brain injury and substance use disorder..
- —Who needs it: workers serving clients with those conditions — commonly in Adult Family Homes; your employer or the care plan tells you which specialty applies..
- —Timing: specialty training has its own completion deadline after you begin serving such a client — confirm your specific deadline with your employer..