Unqualified Social Services Director Employed in Large Facility
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to employ a qualified full-time social worker as required for a facility with more than 120 beds, affecting the provision of medically related social services for 196 residents. The facility’s job description for the Social Services Director (SSD) specified that any facility with more than 120 beds must employ a qualified social worker on a full-time basis and that the social services department must be directed by a qualified professional social worker with at least a bachelor’s degree in social work or another human services field, such as sociology, gerontology, special education, rehabilitation counseling, or psychology, plus one year of supervised social work experience in a health care setting. Review of the SSD’s personnel file showed that the SSD’s highest level of education was a high school diploma, with no documentation of a bachelor’s degree in social work or a related human services field, although the SSD had prior SSD experience in another nursing facility. In an interview, the SSD confirmed she had been working full-time in the role for two and a half years and verified that her highest educational attainment was a high school diploma. The Administrator and Nursing Consultant were informed of and acknowledged these findings.
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