Please help, in need of CNA laws (homes, inspections)

[ModChic]

I have looked in several different places but I can not find anywhere where it states how many patients a Nurse Tech (Nurse Aide) is allowed by law to have at one time. I have been told it is 12 but I am trying to confirm bc that would mean my job is breaking some serious rules. I want to protect my career so I am in need of any info that can help confirm this. Thanks

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by ModChic

I have looked in several different places but I can not find anywhere where it states how many patients a Nurse Tech (Nurse Aide) is allowed by law to have at one time. I have been told it is 12 but I am trying to confirm bc that would mean my job is breaking some serious rules. I want to protect my career so I am in need of any info that can help confirm this. Thanks

'course you could've googled this, but I just happened to have this info....

https://www.ncnar.org/index1.jsp

[ModChic]

I did google this and did not find the exact info I was looking for and THAT is why I posted this.

[anifani821]

Do you work in a nursing home?

MM_Mary - I can't find the answer to this question on that site. Should she call them?

[anifani821]

Here are federal staffing standards for nursing homes. I have not been able to confirm if NC's are more stringent. In all states, the minimum requirement is to meet OBRA regs but any state can enact higher standards for staffing ratios.

Federal Staffing Standards (nursing home - OBRA)

1 Registered Nurse (“RN”) - 8 consecutive hrs/day, 7 days/wk
1 Licensed Nurse (“LN”) - 2 remaining shifts, 7 days/wk. LN is an RN or licensed/vocational practical nurse (“LPN/LVN”).
Director of Nursing (full-time) may serve as Charge Nurse for facilities with 60 or fewer residents.
Sufficient nursing staff to provide nursing services to maintain the highest levels of physical, mental and psychosocial well-being of residents.
When these requirements are converted to hours per resident day (“hprd”) for an average 100 resident facility, the total LN requirements approximate 0.30 hprd (30 hours divided by 100 residents).

AND -

The second phase of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study delivered to Congress on March 19, 2002 states a daily minimum of 4.1 hours of total nursing time (RNs, LPNs and CNAs) is required to avoid common quality of care problems such as bedsores, weight loss, and loss of bodily functions for long-term residents. The report finds that 97% of nursing homes do not provide the minimum threshold of nursing care to avoid at least one of these serious problems. The report also concludes that it takes nursing assistants a minimum of 2.8 to 3.2 hours per day to provide essential services such as dressing and grooming, exercising, feeding, toileting, changing wet clothes, and repositioning. More than 91% of facilities do not have enough nursing assistants to provide these services, which are also critical to avoid costly and painful medical conditions.

[ModChic]

Thank you guys so much, this info is very helpful. I called the ncnar (link above) and they actually didnt know the answer either, the woman said it may vary per facility.

[mm_mary73]

I think it does, but you would think HHS would know , since they are involved in inspections of these sites. Go figure....

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by mm_mary73

I think it does, but you would think HHS would know , since they are involved in inspections of these sites. Go figure....

Well, it drove me crazy, too, LOL. I am a licensed nursing home administrator (not currently active) and I swear I was given the guidelines at some point, but I have not been able to find more than the OBRA regs.

This is still on my mind, b/c I feel like it is something I should know!

[ModChic]

I know what you mean, it would seem with all the rules and regulations that there would be info somewhere on it or a general guideline!

[maranderson2010]

Originally Posted by ModChic

I have looked in several different places but I can not find anywhere where it states how many patients a Nurse Tech (Nurse Aide) is allowed by law to have at one time. I have been told it is 12 but I am trying to confirm bc that would mean my job is breaking some serious rules. I want to protect my career so I am in need of any info that can help confirm this. Thanks

I was wondering the same thing because I work in a long term care facility in Indiana I work nights and I have 30 residents with 24 of them needing direct care and their are only 2 CNA's on the third shift myself and another. It is killing me and waring me out.