Nurse Aide Worked with Expired Certification
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a nurse aide maintained an active certification on the nurse aide registry as required by federal regulations. Specifically, the personnel file for an agency nurse aide showed that her certification expired on May 31, 2024. Despite this, the nurse aide continued to work in the facility from June 1, 2024, through January 1, 2025, without the facility being aware of the expired certification. The lapse was only discovered when the nurse aide herself notified the facility on January 1, 2025, at which point she was immediately removed from the schedule. A review of the facility's job description confirmed that an active nurse aide certification was necessary to perform the functions of the position. The Director of Human Resources confirmed in an interview that the nurse aide's certification had expired and should have been renewed prior to expiration, but the facility did not identify the lapse until several months later. This resulted in the nurse aide working for an extended period without the required active certification.