CNA Assisted with Hoyer Lift Transfers Without Required Competency Training
Penalty
Summary
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) #1 was found to have assisted with Hoyer Lift transfers for residents without having completed the required competency training for the use of the device. At the time of her orientation and during her employment, CNA #1 was under 18 years of age and her competency checklist for the Hoyer Lift was not signed off, with only a line drawn in the relevant section. There was no documentation in her personnel file indicating that she had received further training or demonstrated competency in the use of the Hoyer Lift, either as an assistant or as an operator after turning 18. CNA #1 confirmed in an interview that she had regularly assisted with Hoyer Lift transfers and had used the controls, despite not being formally trained or signed off as competent. Facility policy required that at least two trained nursing assistants be present for mechanical lift transfers and that all staff demonstrate competency in the use of such devices. The Assistant Director of Nurses (ADON) stated that CNA #1, being under 18, should not have operated the Hoyer Lift controls and should have been signed off as competent for assisting with transfers, with additional competency required upon turning 18. However, these steps were not completed, and CNA #1 continued to participate in resident transfers without the necessary training or documentation of competency.