Nurse Assistant Training Program | MO

19 CSR 30-84.010 Nurse Assistant Training Program

 

PURPOSE: The Omnibus Nursing Home Act mandates in section 198.082, RSMo that nursing assistants employed in skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities complete an approved training program. This rule gives information regarding the purpose of the training program, required objectives and curriculum content, designates what is the approved course curriculum and indicates the training locations and testing which are required for a program to be considered approved.

 

    • Basic course shall mean the seventy-five (75) hours of classroom training, the one hundred (100) hours of on- the-job supervised training and the final examination of the approved Nurse Assistant Training
    • Certifying agency shall mean a long-term care (LTC) association or other entity approved by the division under subsection (11)(B) to issue certificates to nursing
    • Challenge the final examination shall mean taking the final examination of the basic course without taking the entire basic
    • Division shall mean the Missouri Division of
    • Long-term care association shall mean the Missouri Health Care Association, the Missouri Association of Homes for the Aged, the League of Nursing Home Administrators or the Missouri Assisted Living Association.
    • Nursing service shall mean an agency or organization, such as a Nursing Pool Agency or Hospice, which employs nurses and nursing assistants for temporary or intermittent placement in LTC
    • Training agency shall mean the organization which sponsors the approved training program. An approved training agency is approved by the Division of Aging under section (7) of this
    • Program shall mean the Nurse Assistance Training Program as required by the Omnibus Nursing Home Act and section 198.082, RSMo 1994.

 

  • The purpose of the Nurse Assistant Training Program shall be to prepare individuals for employment in a LTC facility. The program shall be designed to teach skills in resident care which will qualify students to perform uncomplicated nursing procedures and to assist licensed practical nurses or registered professional nurses in direct resident

 

  • All aspects of the Nurse Assistant Training Program included in this rule (that is, qualified instructor, clinical supervisor, examiner, approved course curriculum, approved training agency, supervised on-the-job training, testing and student qualifications) shall be met in order for a program to be considered as
  • The program shall consist of a basic course consisting of a minimum of seventy-five (75) classroom hours of training on basic nursing skills, fire safety and disaster training, resident safety and rights, social and psychological problems of residents, and the methods of handling and caring for mentally confused residents such as those with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders; one hundred

(100) hours of supervised on-the-job training (clinical practice); a final examination; and, following the basic course, continuing in-service training as provided for in 13 CSR 15-14.042(19) through (24).

  • Curriculum content of the program shall include procedures and instructions on basic nursing skills in the following areas: basic hygiene techniques; bedmaking; personal care of residents; food service; charting; safety measures (including fire/safety and disaster preparedness, and infection control); basic preventative and restorative care and procedures; basic observation procedures, such as weighing and measuring; communication skills; methods of handling and caring for mentally confused residents; residents’ rights; ethical and legal responsibilities; death and dying; and mental health and social
    • The course curriculum as outlined in the manual entitled The Nurse Assistant in a Long-Term Care Facility, produced by the Instructional Materials Laboratory, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1987, catalogue number 50-5061-S shall be considered an approved course curriculum. Other manuals and course material may be used to supplement the curriculum. Instructors shall use the companion instructor’s guide, catalogue number 50-5061-I.
    • An orientation module consisting of certain topics identified as such in the approved course curriculum shall be the first material covered in the course unless the course is taught in its entirety before nursing assistants have resident contact. All students must complete the nurse assistant orientation module prior to providing direct care to any resident. For those students already employed by an intermediate care or skilled nursing facility, the orientation module shall be taught at the beginning of the course and before the nursing assistant is allowed to provide direct care to residents
      1. The orientation module shall include, as a minimum, the following topics: handwashing, gloving and infection control; emergency procedures and Heimlich Maneuver; residents’ rights; abuse and neglect reporting; safety (fire and accident); lifting; moving and ambulation; answering signal lights; bedpan, urinal, commode and toilet; preparing residents for and serving meals; feeding the helpless; bathing; dressing and grooming; mouth care; bedmaking (occupied and unoccupied); promoting residents’ independence; communication and interpersonal skills.
      2. Students shall complete the orientation module taught by a qualified instructor even though they may be employed in a facility that uses the approved course material for orientation as required by 13 CSR 15- 14.042(20). The instructor, in that instance, may adjust the time required to cover the material or may integrate the material into the basic course

 

  • The suggested time schedule included for each curriculum topic in the approved course cited in subsection (5)(A) may be adjusted by the instructor to meet the particular learning abilities of the students providing that the orientation module shall be taught in at least sixteen

(16) hours for Medicare- or Medicaid-certified facilities. Licensed-only facilities shall provide at least twelve (12) hours of basic orientation approved by the division.

  • The on-the-job supervised component of one hundred (100) hours shall start after the student has enrolled and started the course curriculum and shall precede the final
  • Continuing in-service education shall be offered in the intermediate care or skillednursing facility (ICF/SNF) to nursing assistants on a regular basis following their successful completion of the basic course as required in 13 CSR 15-14.042(20) through (23).

 

  • Student Enrollment and
    • Any individual who is employable by an ICF/SNF to be involved in direct resident care shall be eligible to enroll in an approved training agency course if—
  1. The individual is at least eighteen (18) years of age and employable. Employable shall mean that the  individual is not listed on the Missouri Division of Aging Employee Disqualified List; who has not been found guilty of, pled guilty to, been convicted of, or nolo contendere to, a Class A or B felony under Chapters 565, 566 or 569, a Class D felony under section 568.020, RSMo 1994 or any violation of section 198.070.3, RSMo 1994, unless a good cause waiver has been granted by the division; and who meets requirements under 13 CSR 15-14.042(32); or
  2. The individual is at least sixteen (16) years of age providing he or she is—
    1. Currently enrolled in a secondary school health services occupation program or a cooperative work education program of an area vocational-technical school or comprehensive high school;
    2. Placed for work experience in an ICF/SNF by that program; and
    3. Under the direct supervision of the instructor or licensed nursing staff of the facility, or both, while completing the clinical portion of the course. A certified facility may not employ a student in the facility who is not certified within four (4) months of date of hire. A licensed- only facility may only employ a student in that facility for up to one (1) year from the date of hire prior to certification.
  • All full or part-time employees of an ICF/SNF who are involved with direct resident care, and hired in that capacity after January 1, 1980, shall have completed the approved Nurse Assistant Training Program or shall enroll in and begin study in the approved training program within ninety (90) days of employment, except that the following persons shall be permitted to challenge the final examination:
  1. Persons who were enrolled in a professional (RN) or practical (LPN) nursing education program for at least four (4) months or who are enrolled in this program and who have successfully completed the Fundamentals of Nursing Course, including clinical hours within the last five
  • years, may challenge the final examination of the course, as this training is deemed equivalent to the required classroom hours and on-the-job training;
  1. Professional nursing or practical nursing licensure candidates who have failed state licensure examinations may challenge the final examination, as their training is deemed equivalent to the required classroom hours and on- the-job training;
  2. Persons from other states who are approved to work as a nurse assistance in the other states may challenge the final examination, as their training is deemed equivalent to the required classroom hours and on-the-job training;
  3. Students who have completed a nursing program outside the United States and who are awaiting the licensure examination in this country shall be required to apply to the division to take the challenge examination. In addition to a completed application, the student must also include: a copy of the out of country license or certificate; a copy of the school transcript translated to English; a copy of the out of country criminal background check translated to English. Students shall be required to complete the orientation module of the course as given in subsection (5)(B) of this rule and then may challenge the final examination, as their training is deemed equivalent to the other required classroom hours and on-the-job training;
  4. Persons trained in acute care sections of hospitals as nursing assistants or persons trained as psychiatric aides shall complete the orientation module with special emphasis on the geriatric residents’ needs, residents’ rights and orientation to the facility and shall complete the one hundred (100) hours of on-the-job training in an LTC facility or LTC unit of a hospital and then they may challenge the final examination, as their training is deemed equivalent to the other required classroom hours and on- the-job training;
  5. Persons trained in an LTC unit of a hospital and who have been employed in the LTC unit of the hospital for at least twelve (12) months and who submit a letter of recommendation from the administrator or director of nursing documenting their training may challenge the final examination after completing the units on residents’ rights and care of the confused resident. Such training shall be deemed equivalent to the other required classroom hours and on-the-job training; and
  6. Any other persons whose background, education and training in gerontology and health occupations includes the components of the approved training curriculum may be allowed to challenge the final examination after taking those portions of the course as determined to be necessary based on evaluation of their credentials by the supervisor of health education of the Division of
  • Those persons designated in paragraphs (6)(B)1.–7., who want to challenge the final examination shall submit a request in writing to the division enclosing any applicable documentation. The division will respond, in writing, either approving or denying the request to challenge the final examination and, if approved, the letter from the division may be presented to an approved training agency to challenge the examination or complete the course or portions of the course as required and then challenge the examination.
  • Those persons permitted to challenge the final examination shall have made arrangements to do so within sixty (60) days of employment as a nursing assistant and shall have successfully challenged the final examination prior to or within one hundred twenty (120) days of employment. Permission letters not utilized within the one hundred twenty (120)-day period shall be considered invalid and reapplication for permission to challenge shall be made to the
  • Nursing assistants who are employed by a nursing service, or who are working on a private duty basis providing direct resident care shall have completed the approved basic course, shall have a current certificate from an approved certifying agency and shall be listed on the Division of Aging Certified Nurse Assistant Registry prior to functioning in an ICF/SNF.
  • Allied health care personnel, such as emergency medical technicians, medical laboratory technicians, surgical technicians, central supply technicians and dental auxiliaries, shall not be considered qualified and shall not be allowed to challenge the final examination. Individuals, if employed by an ICF/SNF to provide direct patient care shall enroll in and successfully complete an approved program.
  • If a student drops the course due to illness or incapacity, the student may reenroll in a course within six
  • months and make up the course material missed without retaking the entire course upon presenting proof of attendance and materials covered in the original
    • A student shall complete the entire basic course (including passing the final examination) within one (1) year of employment as a nursing assistant in an SNF/ICF, except that a nursing assistant employed by a facility certified under Title XVIII or Title XIX shall complete the course and be certified within four (4)
    • A full or part-time employee of an ICF/SNF who is employed as a nursing assistant after January 1, 1989 who has not completed at least the classroom portion of the basic course shall not provide direct resident care until he or she has completed the sixteen (16)-hour orientation module and the twelve (12) hours of supervised practical orientation required in 13 CSR 15-14.042(20).
  • All nursing assistants trained prior to January 1, 1989 who were not trained using the course curriculum referenced in subsection (5)(A) of this rule with at least seventy-five (75) hours of classroom instruction shall have attended a special four (4)-hour retraining program which used the manual entitled Long-Term Care Nurse Assistant Update produced by the Instructional Materials Laboratory, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1989, catalogue number 50-5062-I or 50-5062-S. Any nursing assistant who did not attend this retraining program by August 31, 1989 shall no longer be considered a trained nursing assistant and all previous credentials issued by any source shall be considered invalid. To be certified as required by the provisions of this rule, a person shall successfully complete the entire Nursing Assistant Training

 

  • Training
    • The following entities are eligible to apply to the division to be an approved training agency:
      1. Area vocational technical schools and comprehensive high schools offering health service occupation programs which have a practice classroom and equipment used in delivering health care and a written agreement of cooperation with one (1) or more SNFs/ICFs or an LTC unit of a hospital in their vicinity for the one hundred (100)-hour on-the-job training component of the course;
      2. Community junior colleges or private agencies approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association on the list published by the secretary of the Department of Education, pursuant to the Higher Education Act (20 USC Sections 295-4(2)(D), 42 USC Section 298(b)(6)) and the Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (38 USC Section 1775(a)) which have a practice laboratory with one (1) or more bed units and equipment used in delivering health care and have a written agreement of cooperation with one (1) or more SNFs/ICFs, or LTC units of a hospital in their vicinity for the on-the-job training component of the course; or
      3. A licensed hospital, licensed SNF/ICF which has designated space sufficient to accommodate the classroom teaching portion of the course, and if the one hundred (100) hours of on-the-job training is not provided on-site, has a written agreement of cooperation with an LTC unit of a hospital or SNF/ICF to provide that
    • A school, agency, hospital or nursing facility which wants to be approved by the division to teach the Nursing Assistant Training Program shall file an application with the division giving the name(s) of the instructor(s) and clinical supervisor(s); and, if clinical training is not being done on-site, a copy of an agreement with a nursing facility for the clinical portion of the
  • In order to be approved, the applicant shall have an area which will be designated during training sessions as a classroom with sufficient space to allow fifteen (15) students to be seated with room for note-taking, appropriate equipment as needed for teaching the course, approved instructors and clinical supervisors, and shall assure that the instructor and each student has a manual for the state- approved course. Any ICF/SNF which has received a Notice of Noncompliance related to administration and resident care from the division in the two (2)-year period prior to application for approval shall not be eligible for approval and if this Notice is issued after approval, approval shall be withdrawn by the division within ninety

(90) days and the certifying agencies shall be notified of the withdrawal of approval. Students already enrolled in  a class in this facility, however, may complete their course if a Notice is issued after a course has begun. However, a noncompliant facility where an extended or partially extended survey has been completed may apply in writing to the division requesting permission for approval to train and test nurse assistants for certification. The approval for each separate class may be granted to teach and test in the facility but not by the facility staff. If approval is granted for a waiver for a certified facility or exception for a licensed-only facility, the division shall require certain criteria to be met, depending on the issues such as time and distance to other training agencies in the area.

  • The division shall make an on-site inspection of each approved training agency’s premises within two (2) years of approval to determine the adequacy of space; equipment and supplies; and, if clinical training is not done on-site, verify that there is a current copy of an agreement with a nursing facility for the clinical portion of the
  • Upon receipt of a fully completed application form, the division shall notify the applicant in writing within ninety (90) days of approval or disapproval. If disapproved, the reasons why shall be
  • Training agencies shall be approved for a two (2)- year period and shall submit a new application for approval thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of
  • Instructor/student ratio shall be a maximum of one to fifteen (1:15) and it is recommended that the ratio be one to ten (1:10) or
  • Qualifications of Instructors, Clinical Supervisors and Examiners.
      1. An instructor shall be a registered professional nurse currently licensed in Missouri or shall have a temporary permit from the Missouri State Board of Nursing. The licensee shall not be subject of current disciplinary action, such as censure, probation, suspension or
      2. An instructor shall have had, at a minimum, two (2) years of nursing experience and at least one (1) year of experience in the provision of LTC facility services in the last five (5) years. Other personnel from the health professions may assist the instructor; however, they must have at least one (1) year of experience in their
  1. An applicant to be an instructor, shall submit credentials (resume) and a copy of his/her current license renewal card or temporary permit to the Division of Aging. A letter shall be provided by the division to the applicant indicating the status of the applicant’s qualifications and, if not qualified, the reasons and what additional requirements are
  2. An applicant to be an instructor shall attend a seminar approved by the Division of Aging to learn the methodology of teaching the course but only after his/her credentials have been reviewed and approved by the Division of Aging. The Division of Aging shall issue a final letter of approval to be a qualified instructor after the person has satisfactorily completed the seminar. The seminar shall be conducted either by an LTC association or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education using qualified teacher educators approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Division of
  3. Any registered nurse approved by the division or the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an instructor or examiner prior to January 1, 1990, except those involved in nurse assistant curriculum development with the division or who are employed by a certifying agency, shall attend a training seminar on teaching the nurse assistant course conducted by a LTC association or the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by July 1, 1993 in order to maintain status as an approved instructor. Instructors approved prior to January 1, 1990 who are exempt from attending the training seminar shall write the Division of Aging submitting documentation of classes and students taught. The division will issue those instructors letters of approval so they will not have to attend the new training seminar. After July 1, 1993 all credentials issued prior to January 1, 1990 shall be void. Nurses who attend the approved seminar shall be issued new certificates and the division shall maintain a list of all approved instructors, including those issued letters of approval.
  • Clinical Supervisor (On-the-Job Supervisor). The clinical supervisor shall be a currently licensed registered professional nurse or licensed practical nurse, whose license is not currently subject to disciplinary action such as censure, probation, suspension or revocation. The clinical supervisor shall be licensed in Missouri or shall have a temporary permit from the Missouri State Board of Nursing. The clinical supervisor shall be currently employed by the facility where the students are performing their duties or by the agency conducting the course and shall have attended a seminar approved by the Division of Aging to learn methodology of supervising the on-the-job training. Upon successful completion of the training seminar, the clinical supervisor shall be issued a certificate and the division shall maintain a list of approved clinical supervisors. The clinical supervisor shall be on the facility premises in which the students are performing their duties while the students are completing the  on-the-job component of their training and shall directly assist the students in their training and observe their skills when checking their competencies. The clinical supervisor shall have at least one (1) year of experience in LTC if not currently employed by an LTC
    1. The examiner shall be a registered professional nurse currently licensed in Missouri or shall have a temporary permit from the Missouri State Board of Nursing, and shall not be currently subject of disciplinary action such as censure, probation, suspension or
    2. The examiner shall have taught a similar course or shall be qualified to teach a similar course; but shall not have been the instructor of the students being examined; and shall not be employed by the operator whose students are being examined. The examiner shall be specifically approved by the Division of Aging to administer final examinations of the state-approved nurse assistant training curriculum and shall have signed an agreement with the division to protect and keep secure the final
    3. The examiner shall have attended an examiner’s seminar given by the Division of Aging to learn the methodology and sign an
  • Causes for Disqualification. A person shall not be allowed to be an instructor, clinical supervisor or examiner if it is found that he or she—
  1. Knowingly acted or omitted any duty in a manner which would materially or adversely affect the health, safety, welfare or property of a resident;
  2. Defrauded a training agency or student by taking payment and not completing a course, not administering the final examination as required, or not being on-site while students are being trained;
  3. Failed to teach, examine or clinically supervise in accordance with 13 CSR 15-13.010, or taught students from the state test, changed answers on the state test, lost test booklets, or recorded false information on test materials or test booklets of the program; or
  4. Failed to send documentation of a completed course to a certifying agency within thirty (30)
    • Notification of
      1. The division shall notify the individual that he or she is no longer eligible to be an instructor, clinical supervisor or
      2. The division shall notify all approved training and certifying agencies if it has been determined that an individual is no longer considered an approved instructor, clinical supervisor or examiner and that person’s name shall be removed from the lists maintained by the division of approved instructors, clinical supervisors or
      3. To be reinstated as a state-approved instructor, clinical supervisor or examiner the individual shall submit a request in writing to the division director stating the reasons why reinstatement is warranted. The division director or the director’s designee shall respond in writing to the
    • In order to be eligible for testing, a student shall have either completed the state-approved training curriculum offered by an approved training agency or shall have a letter from the Division of Aging granting approval to challenge the final
    • A student shall pass a minimum of three (3) written or oral tests throughout the course with an eighty (80) score or better on each test in order to be eligible to take the final examination.
  • The final examination shall be conducted by an approved examiner who may be assisted by the instructor using the following procedures:
    1. The instructor will select an LTC resident to participate in the testing process and obtain approval for this activity from the resident;
    2. The examiner shall verify the eligibility of the students by reviewing records to establish that the student has completed the approved training program or possesses an approval letter from the division granting approval to challenge the final examination. In the event that a qualified instructor for the nurse assistant LTC program did not sign records of a student who successfully completed the program, without justification or due to resignation from his/her position, the administrator of the approved training agency may validate the training by signature. Evidence of successful completion of the basic course (that is, test scores, class schedules and the like) shall be documented prior to a student taking the final examination;
    3. The student shall successfully complete at least nine
  • procedures under the observation of the instructor or a facility licensed nurse and
    1. The nine (9) procedures shall always include a type of bath, vital signs (temperature, pulse, respirations and blood pressure), transfer techniques, feeding techniques, dressing and grooming, skin care, active or passive, range of motion to upper and lower extremities (unless contraindicated by a physician’s order) and handwashing and gloving from the standardized curriculum.
    2. The remainder shall be selected according to the resident’s care needs at the time of day that testing
    3. The evaluation of the student shall include communication and interaction with the resident, provision of privacy, work habits, appearance, conduct and reporting and recording skills;
      1. The student shall successfully answer forty (40) out of fifty (50) oral or written questions presented by the examiner based on the standardized curriculum and selected from a specific test pool of questions which are safeguarded by the Division of Aging;
      2. Any person who fails the final examination, except those who have been permitted to challenge the examination, shall have the opportunity to retake the examination twice within ninety (90) days. The examiner shall notify the division and obtain different examinations to be administered each time. If it is failed a third time, the entire course or selected sections, as determined by the examiner, must be retaken before another examination can be given; and
      3. Any person who is required by section 198.082, RSMo to enroll in the Nurse Assistant Program, but who has been permitted to challenge the final examination and who fails the examination, must immediately reenroll in and begin study in the next available course and shall complete the basic course within one (1) year of employment.
  • Records and
  1. The examiner shall complete and sign the competency record sheet and the final examination score sheet which shall include scores and comments. The examiner shall advise the individual that successful completion of the evaluation will result in the addition of his/her name to the State Nursing Assistant
  2. After scoring, the examiner shall return all test materials, test booklets, answer sheets, and any appendices to the division. The examiner shall also provide the training agency with documentation of the student’s test
  3. A copy of the student’s final record sheets shall be provided to the student (except for the answer sheets). If the course is not completed, records and documentation regarding the portions completed shall be provided to the student, if requested, and to the training
  4. The training agency shall maintain the records of students trained. Records shall be maintained for at least two (2) years.
  • Certification and Entry of Names on State
    1. The training agency shall submit within thirty (30) days, the student’s final record sheets to any one of the long-term care associations or any other agency which is specifically approved by the division to issue nursing assistant certificates and provide names to the division for entry on the nurse assistant
    2. Each student shall obtain a certificate from a state- approved association or agency validating successful completion of the training
    3. The Division of Aging shall maintain a list of long- term care associations or other agencies approved to handle the issuance of certificates for the Nurse Assistant Training Program. In order for a long-term care association or agency to be approved by the Division of Aging, it shall enter into an agreement of cooperation with the Missouri Division of Aging which shall be renewable annually and shall effectively carry out the following responsibilities:
      1. Issue certificates to individuals who have successfully completed the course;
      2. Provide the Division of Aging with the names and other identifying data of those receiving certificates on at least a monthly basis; and
      3. Maintain accurate and complete records for a period of at least two (2)
    4. The certificate of any nurse assistant who has not performed nursing services for monetary compensation for at least one (1) day in a twenty-four (24)-consecutive month period shall be invalid and the person’s name shall be removed from the Missouri nursing assistant register. This individual, however, may submit his/her credentials to the Division of Aging at any time and if unemployed for less than five (5) years, s/he may be authorized to challenge the final examination. If s/he passes the examination, the examiner shall submit the individual’s records to a training agency so that s/he can be issued a new certificate and his/her name can be placed on the nurse assistant register again. If unemployed longer than five (5) years, the individual must successfully complete the entire course before s/he can be recertified and s/he is not eligible to challenge the final