71-6608.01. Home health aide training course; standards; supervised training; documentation required.

A home health aide training course shall meet the following standards with regard to content and duration of training, qualifications for instructors, and documentation of training:

(1) Such course shall address each of the following subject areas through classroom and supervised practical training totaling at least seventy-five hours, with at least sixteen hours devoted to supervised practical training after the individual being trained has completed at least sixteen hours of classroom training:

(a) Communications skills;

(b) Observation, reporting, and documentation of patient status and the care or service furnished;

(c) Reading and recording temperature, pulse, and respiration;

(d) Basic infection control procedures;

(e) Basic elements of body functioning and changes in body functioning that must be reported to a home health aide's supervisor;

(f) Maintenance of a clean, safe, and healthy environment;

(g) Recognizing emergencies and knowledge of emergency procedures;

(h) The physical, emotional, and developmental needs of and ways to work with the populations served by the home health agency, including the need for respect for the patient, his or her privacy, and his or her property;

(i) Appropriate and safe techniques in personal hygiene and grooming that include:

(i) Bed bath;

(ii) Bath: Sponge, tub, and shower;

(iii) Shampoo: Sink, tub, and bed;

(iv) Nail and skin care;

(v) Oral hygiene; and

(vi) Toileting and elimination;

(j) Safe transfer techniques and ambulation;

(k) Normal range of motion and positioning;

(l) Adequate nutrition and fluid intake; and

(m) Any other task that the home health agency may choose to have the home health aide perform;

(2) The training and supervision of home health aides during the supervised practical portion of the training shall be performed by or under the general supervision of a registered nurse who possesses a minimum of two years of nursing experience, at least one year of which is in the provision of home health care, and who has supervised home health aide services for at least six months. Other individuals may be used to provide instruction under the supervision of a qualified registered nurse;

(3) The home health agency shall maintain sufficient documentation to demonstrate that the requirements of this section are met; and

(4) A home health aide training course may be offered by any organization, except that on or after September 6, 1991, a home health agency that has had its license denied, suspended, or revoked or has had admissions or readmissions prohibited shall not offer a home health aide training course for a period of twenty-four months after the occurrence of such action.

Source:Laws 1991, LB 703, ยง 59.