Failure to Complete Staff Competency Assessments
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that nurses and nurse aides had completed required competency assessments to demonstrate proficiency in the care and services they provide to residents. Record reviews revealed that eight out of nine sampled staff members, including medication aides, nurse aides, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses, did not have documented competencies on file. These staff members had been hired at various times, but none had completed competency evaluations either upon hire or annually as required. Interviews with staff and the Director of Nursing confirmed that the necessary competency assessments had not been conducted for these individuals. The Director of Nursing acknowledged that staff should have completed competencies both at the time of hire and on an annual basis, but this process was not followed. The lack of completed competencies had the potential to affect all residents in the facility, which had a census of 41 at the time of the survey.