Failure to Ensure Staff Competency in Oxygen Safety and CPR Certification
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that nursing staff possessed the required competencies and certifications necessary to provide safe and appropriate care to residents. Specifically, six licensed nurses did not have current training in safe oxygen handling, as evidenced by personnel file reviews and interviews with the Human Resources Manager and Assistant Director of Nursing. Some of these nurses, including a traveler nurse, had not completed the required annual oxygen safety education until after the survey began. Observations confirmed the presence of compressed gas cylinders in a unit, and the ADON acknowledged that oxygen tanks were stored for resident use. Additionally, one certified nurse aide was found to be working without a valid CPR certificate, as confirmed by a review of personnel files and interviews with the HR Manager. The aide had been hired without completing the required CPR course, and there was no documentation of certification in the personnel file. Facility policy required all clinical staff providing direct patient care to have completed Basic Life Support (BLS) training, but this requirement was not met for the aide in question.