Failure to Ensure Nursing Assistant Certification Status
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that four of seven employed nursing assistants maintained current certification with the state nursing assistant registry. Review of the registry and facility employee records showed that these nursing assistants had expired certificates but continued to be scheduled and worked shifts during the period their certifications were not valid. This lapse had the potential to affect all thirty-two residents residing in the facility. Interviews with the Director of Nursing (DON) and the administrator revealed a lack of awareness regarding the expired certifications and an absence of a process to verify the current status of licensed or certified staff. The DON stated she was not responsible for monitoring certification status and was unsure who held that responsibility. The administrator acknowledged that there was no system in place to ensure verification of credentials and accepted ultimate responsibility for the oversight. Review of the facility's policy indicated that the Human Resources Director or designee was responsible for maintaining and verifying certification status, but this was not followed.