One of the most important elements of running a successful Assisted Living Facility is hiring, training, and retaining the right people to care for your residents. The Virginia DOSS has issued specific guidelines for what these employees must be given training on in order to provide care for residents. Take a look below:
22VAC40-73-120. Staff orientation and initial training.
- The orientation and training required in subsections B and C of this section shall occur within the first seven working days of employment. Until this orientation and training is completed, the staff person may only assume job responsibilities if under the sight supervision of a trained direct care staff person or administrator.
- All staff shall be oriented to:
- The purpose of the facility;
- The facility’s organizational structure;
- The services provided;
- The daily routines;
- The facility’s policies and procedures;
- Specific duties and responsibilities of their positions; and
- Required compliance with regulations for assisted living facilities as it relates to their duties and responsibilities.
- All staff shall be trained in the relevant laws, regulations, and the facility’s policies and procedures sufficiently to implement:
- Emergency and disaster plans for the facility;
- Procedures for the handling of resident emergencies;
- Use of the first aid kit and knowledge of its location;
- Handwashing techniques, standard precautions, infection risk-reduction behavior, and other infection control measures specified in 22VAC40-73-100;
- Confidential treatment of personal information;
- Requirements regarding the rights and responsibilities of residents;
- Requirements and procedures for detecting and reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of residents and for mandated reporters, the consequences for failing to make a required report, as set out in § 63.2-1606 of the Code of Virginia;
- Procedures for reporting and documenting incidents as required in 22VAC40-73- 70; 9. Methods of alleviating common adjustment problems that may occur when a resident moves from one residential environment to another; and 10. For direct care staff, the needs, preferences, and routines of the residents for whom they will provide care.
- Staff orientation and initial training specified in this section may count toward the required annual training hours for the first year.
Top Takeaways:
- The orientation and training required in subsections B and C of this section shall occur within the first seven working days of employment. Until this orientation and training is completed, the staff person may only assume job responsibilities if under the sight supervision of a trained direct care staff person or administrator.
It is uber important to have the orientation process completed on the employee’s first day. I get it, you are short-staffed and need the bodies on the floor. But chances are that you will not retain this employee and they will not be satisfied if you do not orient and train them properly. Plus, there’s the pesky little agency known as DOSS who will ensure you have completed the orientation process within 7 days of their employment beginning.