Missing Initial and Annual Competency Assessments for Utility Nurses
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that Utility Nurses had competency and skills assessments completed upon hire and annually, as required by facility policy, for two of six sampled employees working in that role. Interview and record review with the Director of Staff Development (DSD) showed that both Utility Nurse 1 and Utility Nurse 2 were initially hired in the dietary department and later began working as Utility Nurses on 2/25/25 and 8/19/25, respectively. Their personnel files contained competency checklists only for dietary duties and lacked any competency or skills checklists related to their Utility Nurse responsibilities, despite the DSD stating that such competencies should be completed upon hire and yearly to ensure correct resident care procedures. The Director of Nursing (DON) also stated it is important to have competency and skills assessments done upon hire and annually to ensure these staff can safely and competently perform their duties. Review of the facility’s “Utility Nurse” policy, revised on 1/25, indicated that Utility Nurses shall receive orientation on call light response, resident safety and fall prevention, communication protocols, scope of practice, and emergency procedures, and that competency shall be assessed upon hire and annually, which was not done for these two staff members. No specific residents, medical histories, or clinical conditions were described in the report in relation to this deficiency.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.