#AHCANCAL – Page 14 – AHCA/NCAL Gero Nurse Prep

AHCA/NCAL’s Sale on Gero Nurse Prep Ends November 15

Save $200 off the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Gero Nurse Prep course through November 15 with promo code INSPIRE21 (all caps). Specifically designed for registered nurses working in long term care, this curriculum provides comprehensive online training that leads to board certification in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for RNs.

Research released by AHCA/NCAL in 2019 found compelling reasons to consider the Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:

Two fewer deficiencies on average (5.71 citations versus the 7.55 national average in last cycle)
Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations (1.60 versus the 2.27 national average)
More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (50% versus the 28% national average)
Significantly lower re-hospitalization rates over the previous six years
Significantly lower rates of off-label use of antipsychotics over the previous five years
Significantly higher average SNF Value Based Purchasing scores (44.17 versus 34.42 for the nation).

Gero Nurse Prep also makes a big difference even for those RNs who are not interested in pursuing ANCC Board certification. Nurses who complete Gero Nurse Prep show an average 24 percent increase between their pre- and post-course test scores. Quite simply, Gero Nurse Prep delivers smarter RNs who are better prepared to deliver quality geriatric nursing care in skilled nursing and assisted living settings. Both two-year RNs and BSNs can take the Gero Nurse Prep course and sit for the ANCC exam.

RNs have one year to complete Gero Nurse Prep and earn 30 quality nursing contact hours – enough to meet the criteria for taking the ANCC certification exam. Gero Nurse Prep grads who choose to sit for the ANCC gerontological nursing certification exam ($395 separate fee paid to ANCC) have a pass rate of 95% on their first try. RNs who pass the ANCC exam can then use the GERO-BC™ credential after their RN credential.

Watch this video or visit the website at geronurseprep.com to learn more about this online program designed to help RNs increase their geriatric nursing skills and to pass the ANCC exam. Don’t forget to use the INSPIRE21 promo code when you register by November 15 to save $200 off the regular $790 Gero Nurse Prep registration fee.

Time for a Staff Empowerment Check

The pandemic hit staff hard. Personal protective equipment scarcity, staff shortages, required COVID-19 testing, working overtime, vaccine mandates—and the list goes on. Simply put, many staff feel disempowered. This feeling, if not addressed, can lead to further turnover.

Staff empowerment, on the other hand, allows staff to make independent decisions and act on them. Empowered staff are valued and listened to. They stay with their current employers and encourage others to join the team. They have greater job satisfaction. They are happy and want to come to work.

Save $200 off the Gero Nurse Prep course!

Two fewer deficiencies on average (5.71 citations versus the 7.55 national average in last cycle)
Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations (1.60 versus the 2.27 national average)
More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (50% versus the 28% national average)
Significantly lower re-hospitalization rates over the previous six years
Significantly lower rates of off-label use of antipsychotics over the previous five years
Significantly higher average SNF Value Based Purchasing scores (44.17 versus 34.42 for the nation).

Watch this video or visit the website at geronurseprep.com to learn more about this online program designed to help RNs increase their geriatric nursing skills and to pass the ANCC exam. Don’t forget to use the INSPIRE21 promo code when you register by November 15 to save $200 off the regular $790 Gero Nurse Prep registration fee.

Creating Seamless Transitions in Challenging Tımes

“The best transition of care is when there is no transition at all.” James Lett, MD, coined this maxim many years ago, and it’s still the mantra of post-acute and long term care providers.

“Of course, sometimes transitions are necessary, so we need to focus on doing this as seamlessly as possible,” says Rajeev Kumar, MD, CMD, FACP, chief medical officer of Symbria in Warrenville, Ill. “Even though we are well into the third decade of meaningful EHR [electronic health record] use, we still have discordant records, and what happens in the hospital doesn’t always filter back to the nursing home, and vice versa.”

Gerontological Nurse Training Increases Quality Outcomes!

And Key Performance Measures Prove It!

AHCA/NCAL research shows SNFs with ANCC Board Certified RNs have:
* Higher Average SNF VBP Scores
* Fewer Rehospitalizations
* Fewer Survey Deficiencies
* Lower Off-label Use of Antipsychotics
* Higher CMS 5-Star Ratings

Save $200 through November 15, 2021 with promo code “INSPIRE21”

Find out more at https://www.geronurseprep.com/

AHCA/NCAL’s Premier Gerontological Nurse Training On Sale Now!

Research released by AHCA/NCAL in 2019 found compelling reasons to consider the AHCA/NCAL’s Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:

Two fewer deficiencies on average (5.71 citations versus the 7.55 national average in last cycle)
Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations (1.60 versus the 2.27 national average)
More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (50% versus the 28% national average)
Significantly lower re-hospitalization rates over the previous six years
Significantly lower rates of off-label use of antipsychotics over the previous five years
Significantly higher average SNF Value Based Purchasing scores (44.17 versus 34.42 for the nation).

Gero Nurse Prep makes a big difference even for those RNs who are not interested in pursuing ANCC Board certification. Nurses who complete Gero Nurse Prep show an average 24 percent increase between their pre- and post-course test scores. Quite simply, Gero Nurse Prep delivers smarter RNs who are better prepared to deliver quality geriatric nursing care in skilled nursing and assisted living settings. Both two-year RNs and BSNs can take the Gero Nurse Prep course and sit for the ANCC exam.

Long COVID: An Emerging Threat

Long COVID—symptoms that drag on long after someone gets ill with the coronavirus—has many in long term and post-acute care experiencing déjà vu. Diagnostic challenges, questions about treatments, and a limited body of research—these are the same issues they faced at the start of the pandemic over a year ago.

However, while there are still questions, providers have learned much from the pandemic that will help centers navigate the challenges of long COVID and implement and sustain standards, processes, protocols, and interventions that maximize outcomes and quality of life for residents with this condition.

Read more by going to https://bit.ly/3lRAwoq

September is National Preparedness Month

AHCA/NCAL provides information and resources to help members respond to an emergency in a timely, organized, and effective manner. Find out what you need to know at https://www.ahcancal.org/Survey-Regulatory-Legal/Emergency-Preparedness/Pages/default.aspx

Develop Nurses’ Clinical Skills to Enhance Care

The article from Provider magazine discusses how clinical leaders can train nurses in various stages of growth through briefs and follow-through tutoring during resident assessments.

https://bit.ly/3ksOWuD

Vaccinations, Visitation, and Vigilance During the Delta Surge

The Delta variant is now the most common variant in the US, making up over 85% of cases, and is two to three times as contagious as prior variants. This is causing a surge in cases in communities across the US, which puts long term care facilities at risk of outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges healthcare workers to stay vigilant to prevent the spread of the virus and protect staff and residents in long term care facilities.

The CDC recommends staff and visitors take the following steps:

Get vaccinated as soon as possible
Wear a mask even if you are vaccinated
Stay home if you feel ill
Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms

To maintain compliance with CMS’ QSO memo on visitation 20-39-NH Revised, while ensuring the safety of residents and staff, AHCA/NCAL recommends that nursing homes enact policies that “strongly encourage” (but not require) all visitors to:

Be vaccinated;
Always wear a mask during the visit; and
Have a negative COVID-19 test if the community spread of COVID-19 is moderate to high OR obtain a negative Point of Care test the day of or day before visitation.

Providers may also consider asking residents if they want visitors given the surge in the Delta variant and if they want any unvaccinated visitors or visitors that have not been tested. Residents can put such a requirement in place under their resident rights.

Providers should also continue to strongly encourage vaccinations among staff, using the resources provided through the #GetVaccinated campaign. AHCA/NCAL also hosted a webinar on boosting staff vaccination rates, which is now available on demand.

The CDC also provides the following web resources to help inform and educate about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and vaccination: