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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Effective July 1, 2022

    1. Federal OBRA regulation, 42 CFR 483.152(a)(5)(i), states the training of nurse aides must be performed by or under the general supervision of a registered nurse who possesses a minimum of 2 years of nursing experience, at least one year of which must be in the provision of long-term care facility1 services.

      Each PDE-approved NATCEP must employ at least one individual who is an RN and meets these qualifications. This qualified individual may serve as either the NATCEP instructor, who performs all or most of the training, or as the RN supervisor, who supervises2 the training of nurse aide students.

      If a NATCEP chooses to structure its program with an RN supervisor, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) instructor may perform all or most of the training of nurse aide students.

    2. All instructors must have an unrestricted license.3

    3. All instructors must maintain evidence of an acceptable PA Criminal History Record Information Report according to the Older Adults Protective Services Act. 

    4. All instructors must maintain evidence of a negative test for tuberculosis according to the policy of the nursing facility where students complete their clinical experience. 

    5. All instructors must submit a resume that shows:

      a. Nursing experience in meeting resident’s psychosocial, behavioral, cognitive, and physical needs to include direct care, supervision, and/or education.

      b. Minimum two years’ experience as an RN or LPN that includes at least one year or 12 months of employment in a long-term care facility.

      c. All state-approved NATCEP instructors must complete the Teaching-the-Educator(TTE) workshop offered through Pennsylvania State University.

    6. Nurses who possess a current teaching certificate issued by PDE or evidence of being an instructor in an approved practical nursing program or a professional school of nursing may be permitted to attend only the days when the rules and regulations pertaining to nurse aide training in Pennsylvania are presented. 

    7. Due to secondary teacher certification requirements, all NATCEP instructors in a high school setting must be qualified under both the OBRA regulations and CTE teacher requirements to teach any portion of NATCEP hours offered to high school students that count as part of their secondary instructional time.

      RN Supervisor Guidelines

    8. All RN supervisors must submit a resume that shows:

      a. Nursing experience in meeting residents’ psychosocial, behavioral, cognitive, and physical needs to include direct care, supervision, and/or education.

      b. Minimum two years’ experience as an RN that includes at least one year or 12 months of employment in a long-term care facility.

    9. The RN supervisor must meet the following criteria:

      a. RN supervisor must be PDE approved.

      b. RN supervisor must be available by telephone/telecommunications when NATCEP instruction is taking place and must be permitted to cease nursing duties when NATCEP should the instructor require assistance. 

      c. RN supervisor is responsible to sign and date the Performance Checklist to verify students were taught and demonstrated proficiency in the knowledge and skills required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1987, and PA Act 14 of 1997.

      d. RN supervisor must complete the Teaching-the-Educator (TTE) workshop offered through Pennsylvania State University. 

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    1 A long-term care facility is an institution licensed by the Department of Health as a long-term care facility. This includes a distinct unit of a hospital that possesses a separate license by the Department of Health (transitional care or skilled care unit) and geriatric units at a Veterans Administration institution. This does not include the following: institutions that provide care for the chronically disabled or mentally challenged, geriatric psychiatry, hospice care, home care, and general medical units in a hospital.

    2 Supervision means the action or state of overseeing a person, group of people, project, task or other activity, and checking that work is being completed correctly or that everything is as it should be.

    3 Unrestricted means there are no practice limitations on the license.