CNA Allowed to Work Overnight Shift Without Active Certification
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified that one CNA worked an overnight 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift without an active CNA certification, contrary to federal nurse aide registry requirements and the facility’s own job description, which requires a valid CNA certification. During interview and record review with the DON, the CNA’s Licensing & Certification Verification Detail Page in the personnel file showed an active, employable status with a future expiration date, which the DON had relied upon. However, when the DON searched the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) website during the same review, no data was found for the CNA, confirming that the CNA did not have an active certification on the registry at the time she worked the shift. Further review of the nursing assignment and attendance sign‑in sheets for the overnight shift confirmed that the CNA had signed in and worked that shift. The DON stated that the situation occurred because the evening shift Charge Nurse, attempting to cover a CNA call‑off, contacted this CNA, who was known for helping cover shifts, and did not recognize that she had been removed from the schedule due to lapsed certification. In a separate telephone interview, the DSD explained that CNAs with lapsed certifications are removed from the monthly schedule and payroll until their certification is valid, and that this CNA had been informed of what she could and could not do with an expired certification. The DSD also noted that the CNA should have known her status when the system would not allow her to clock in, yet she knowingly worked the shift without a valid CNA certification.
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