Failure to Provide Required Behavioral Health Training to CNAs
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide required in-service training on behavioral health for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), as indicated by the facility's own in-service calendar and policies. A review of the facility assessment showed that residents commonly have psychiatric and mood disorders, including psychosis, impaired cognition, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, anxiety disorder, and other mental health conditions. The facility's annual in-service calendar scheduled behavioral health training for March, covering care of residents with dementia, mental and psychosocial disorders, substance abuse, PTSD, trauma, and trigger management for all staff. Interviews with two CNAs revealed that neither had received formal in-service or training on behavior management, and one CNA expressed a desire for such education to better handle residents' behaviors. The Director of Staff Development (DSD), who started employment in March, confirmed that the scheduled behavioral health training was not provided and was unsure if the previous DSD had conducted it. Review of personnel files for the two CNAs showed no documented evidence of behavioral health training. Facility policies require annual in-service training for nurse aides and all staff on behavioral health, with training to be completed prior to providing services, annually, and as necessary based on the facility assessment. The policies also specify that training curricula should include learning objectives, performance standards, and evaluation criteria, and that competency may be demonstrated through written exams or consistent application of interventions. Despite these requirements, the facility did not provide or document the required behavioral health training for the sampled CNAs.