Failure to Complete Required Pre-Employment Screenings for Nursing Staff
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow its own abuse prevention policy and state regulations by not completing required pre-employment screenings for several nursing staff members. Specifically, for one nurse aide, there was no documented evidence that her standing on the Pennsylvania State Nurse Aide Registry was verified, nor were reference checks from previous or current employers obtained prior to her start date. Another nurse aide's personnel file lacked documentation of a completed criminal background check before employment. Additionally, for two registered nurses, there was no documented evidence that their licenses were checked with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing prior to their start dates, and for one of them, reference checks from previous employers were also missing. These deficiencies were confirmed during an interview with the Nursing Home Administrator, who acknowledged the absence of documentation for registry verification, licensure verification, criminal background checks, and reference checks for the mentioned nursing staff prior to their hire dates. The facility's failure to complete these required screenings is not in accordance with its abuse policy and state regulations.