GeroNursePrep – Page 8 – AHCA/NCAL Gero Nurse Prep

Facing COVID With Creativity, Connections, and Resilience

After a devastating storm, the signs of life—children going to school, lights coming on after days of power outages, neighbors talking and laughing—are powerful reminders of people’s resilience and the importance of their connections to each other. Even though the pandemic isn’t completely over, it has led to some changes, innovations, and inspiring stories that should be embraced and remembered moving forward.

One impact of COVID-19 has been a bit of a double-edged sword. The pandemic has shown a spotlight on nursing homes and other long term care facilities. While this has brought some negative and often unfair media coverage, it also presents opportunities.

As James Wright, MD, CMD, a multifacility medical director in Virginia, says, “For a brief period of time, the public was more interested than ever in what goes on in nursing homes, especially with staffing. If we take this interest and harness it into legislative and regulatory changes, we can translate this into better funding and staffing.”

Booster Shots for Residents and Staff.

Making sure our residents and staff receive the booster dose against COVID-19 remains the best way to combat the continued spread of the Delta variant and protect one against the eventual spread of the Omicron variant. Each week, more scientific evidence becomes available showing vaccinated people experience waning immunity and we are see increasing breakthrough cases among our residents who have not received the booster. The vaccines and booster are shown to be safe and highly effective, as they dramatically decrease the risk of developing serious illness, hospitalization or death should you have a breakthrough case.

Also, as reminder CMS QSO memo 21-19-NH requires that “all residents and staff be offered each resident and staff member is offered the COVID-19 vaccine unless the immunization is medically contraindicated or the resident or staff member has already been immunized” and before the end of the year will publicly post the rate of booster shots administered in each skilled nursing facility.

Resources to help with resident and staff boosters are available at AHCA/NCAL’s https://getvaccinated.us/

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.

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/

Pandemic Takes its Toll on Sleep

During the pandemic, sleep was in short order for many people. In one survey, 56 percent of U.S. adults said they have experienced more sleep disturbances—ranging from problems falling or staying asleep to having disturbing dreams or nightmares—in the past year and a half. In fact, this has been so common, the phenomenon has been given a name—COVID-somnia.

Pandemic-related sleep issues haven’t discriminated. Young and old people alike report some sleep-related problem. Long term and post-acute care centers not only need to identify and address sleep disturbances in their residents but in their staff as well.

See the full article at https://bit.ly/3DWPXE1

National Skilled Nursing Care Week

The theme for National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) 2021 is “Together Through the Seasons.” NSNCW will take place May 9-15, 2021, and the theme will honor the collaborative commitment of skilled nursing care facilities and their staff in providing compassionate care to their residents during this unprecedented time.

Over the past year, despite the challenges of the pandemic, skilled care centers and their staff have shown an incredible and steadfast commitment to providing quality care and ensuring the safety of their residents.

NSNCW 2021 will focus on this collective effort and the amazing strength and dedication of those who work tirelessly every day to care for and protect frail, elderly, and disabled adults in long term care. With each new season comes new beginnings, new strategies, and new information. Together we will get through this and together we will begin to heal.

Find out more, and download the “2021 NSNCW Planning Guide and Product Catalog” at https://www.ahcancal.org/Education-Events/Pages/NSNCW.aspx

Careers in Aging Week will be held April 18-24, 2021

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) hosts Careers in Aging Week every year to raise awareness about the diverse careers available in the field of aging.

People are living longer and populations are aging worldwide. The demand for professionals with expertise in aging is growing rapidly. Careers in Aging Week (CIAW) is observed every year by businesses, clinics, coalitions, organizations, universities, colleges, and other parties across the world. The goal of CIAW is to bring greater awareness and visibility to the wide-ranging career opportunities in the field of aging

For additional information and resources please go to https://www.geron.org/programs-services/careers-in-aging-week

National Skilled Nursing Care Week

Find out how you can participate by going to https://www.ahcancal.org/Education-Events/Pages/NSNCW.aspx