2023 is flying by! 6 months into the year! Is your facility maintaining CMS requirements for mandatory education of new and incumbent staff? Now is an opportune time to evaluate the current state of your facility’s mandatory education plan. Gaps in your education plan can make you vulnerable during surveys and when responding to adverse events and incidents.
Evaluate your facility’s current education plan to make certain that it correlates with the findings of your facility assessment. The education plan should include all new and existing staff, individuals providing services under a contractual arrangement, and volunteers and should be consistent with their expected roles.
At a minimum, your annual education plan should include:
- Abuse/neglect/exploitation
- QAPI
- dementia management
- fall prevention
- infection control
- effective communication
- residents’ rights and responsibilities
How does your facility ensure all staff complete mandatory annual education? Check your live training schedules. Are multiple sessions offered to help ensure staff attendance? Evaluate your facility’s education documentation processes, including how live training attendance is captured. Run reports on all computer-based education to ensure staff compliance. Review your processes for transcribing education completion records to the employees’ files.
Appropriately trained staff can improve resident safety, create a more person-centered environment, and reduce the number of adverse events or other resident complications. Dedicating time now to evaluate and improve your education processes can improve your facility’s outcomes and decrease your risk during surveys.
