Qualifications of an ALF Administrator
As the administrator of an assisted living facility, you are entrusted with an enormous amount of responsibility. Think about it; you are ultimately responsible for EVERYTHING that happens in the facility, clinical care, food service, census, it’s on your shoulders. It takes a dedicated, detail-oriented person to run a community, in addition to the following regulation, provided by OHCQ as to who can be an ALF administrator:
.15 Assisted Living Manager.
A. Qualifications.
(1) The assisted living manager shall at a minimum:
(a) Be 21 years old or older;
(b) Possess a high school diploma, a high school equivalency diploma, or other appropriate education and
have the experience to conduct the responsibilities specified in §C of this regulation;
(c) For level 3 licensed programs, have:
(i) A 4-year, college-level degree;
(ii) 2 years experience in a healthcare-related field and 1 year of experience as an assisted living program
manager or alternate assisted living manager; or
(iii) 2 years experience in a healthcare-related field and successful completion of the 80-hour assisted
living manager training program;
(d) Be free from tuberculosis in a communicable form in accordance with Guidelines for Preventing the
Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Health-Care Facilities (that is, tuberculin skin testing (TST) upon
hire or annual sign/symptom screen for those individuals with previous positive TST);
(e) Be immune to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella as evidenced by the history of disease or vaccination;
(f) Have no criminal convictions or another criminal history that indicates a behavior that is potentially harmful
to residents, documented through either a criminal history records check or a criminal background check completed
within 1 month before employment;
(g) Have sufficient skills, training, and experience to serve the residents in a manner that is consistent with
the philosophy of assisted living;
(h) Have verifiable knowledge in:
(i) The health and psychosocial needs of the population being served;(ii) The resident assessment process;
(iii) Use of service plans;
(iv) Cuing, coaching, and monitoring residents who self-administer medications, with or without
assistance;
(v) Providing assistance with ambulation, personal hygiene, dressing, toileting, and feeding; and
(vi) Resident rights;
(i) Receive initial and annual training in:
(i) Fire and life safety;
(ii) Infection control, including standard precautions;
(iii) Emergency disaster plans; and
(iv) Basic food safety; and
(j) Receive initial certification and recertification, when required for:
(i) Basic first aid by a certified first aid instructor; and
(ii) Basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by a certified CPR instructor.
(2) An assisted living manager who has completed the training and passed the examination set forth in
Regulation .16 of this chapter shall be presumed to have met the knowledge requirements of §A(1)(g) and (h) of this
regulation.
B. The Department may determine that an individual is not sufficiently qualified to serve as an assisted living
manager if that individual’s managerial or administrative experience, or education, is not sufficient to perform the
responsibilities set forth in §C of this regulation for the residents the licensee intends to serve.
C. Duties. The assisted living manager shall:
(1) Be on-site or available on call; and
(2) Have overall responsibility for:
(a) The management of the assisted living program, including recruiting, hiring, training, and supervising all
staff, and ensuring that either a criminal history records check or a criminal background check is conducted
consistent with the requirements of Health-General Article, Title 19, Subtitle 19, Annotated Code of Maryland;
(b) The development and implementation of a staffing plan, which includes an orientation and ongoing
training program for all staff, with specific training in the management, assessment, and programming for the
resident with cognitive impairment as required by Health-General Article, §19-319.1, Annotated Code of Maryland;
(c) The development and implementation of all policies, programs, and services as required by this chapter;(d)
Requiring all employees to perform hand hygiene with either soap and water or an alcohol-based hand
sanitizer before and after each direct resident contact for which hand hygiene is indicated by acceptable practice;
(e) Providing or ensuring, through the coordination of community services, that each resident has access to
appropriate medical and psychosocial services, as established in the resident service plan developed under
Regulation .26 of this chapter;
(f) Ensuring that there is appropriate coordination of all components of a resident’s service plan, including
necessary transportation and delivery of needed supplies;
(g) Ensuring that there are appropriate oversight and monitoring of the implementation of each resident’s
service plan;
(h) Ensuring that all record-keeping conforms to the requirements of this chapter and other applicable laws;
(i) Ensuring that all requirements of this chapter and other applicable laws are met;
(j) Implementing a nursing or clinical order of the delegating nurse or documenting in the resident’s record
why the order should not be implemented;
(k) Notifying the OHCQ:
(i) When the manager terminates the program’s contract with or employment of a delegating nurse; and
(ii) Of the reason why the contract or employment was terminated; and
(l) Notifying the resident and, if applicable, the resident’s legally authorized representative or interested
a family member of any:
(i) Significant change in the condition of the resident;
(ii) Adverse event that may result in a change in condition;
(iii) Outcome of the resident’s care that results in an unanticipated consequence; and
(iv) Corrective action, if any.
Top Takeaway:
C. Duties. The assisted living manager shall:
(1) Be on-site or available on call; and
(2) Have overall responsibility for:
EVERYTHING