Pennsylvania would set nurse aide training and testing rules

The Department of Health would develop a long-term care curriculum and a program to train people to teach it. The department would develop the curriculum and trainer program for nurse aides in Pennsylvania. The curriculum would be for nurse aides in Pennsylvania. Instructors must be registered nurses or licensed practical nurses supervised by registered nurses. When a registered nurse generally supervises a licensed practical nurse who trains an aide, the registered nurse must be available and have at least two years of nursing experience, including 12 months working in a long-term care nursing facility. These duties would take effect in one year.

A person could qualify as a nurse aide through one of three education routes and a competency exam. These routes apply to people seeking to become nurse aides in Pennsylvania. The routes are completing an approved nurse aide curriculum and training program or the long-term care curriculum; graduating from an accredited registered or practical nursing program; or completing nursing-program courses equivalent to nurse aide training as a student or graduate nurse. Each route requires the minimum exam score set by the department. The exam includes a written part, which may be taken in person or online, and a skills test at a department-approved site with an approved instructor. This provision would take effect in 30 days.

A prospective nurse aide could choose to take the competency evaluation at the facility where they work or plan to work. The option applies to prospective nurse aides and the facility where they work or plan to work. The facility option would not apply to facilities covered by the cited federal rule. The department could allow facility personnel to oversee the evaluation only if the process prevents tampering, uses a department-approved organization to standardize and score the test, and bars facility personnel from scoring it. These facility testing provisions would take effect in 60 days.

The department could not require a waiting period before a state-approved nurse aide program offers authorized online training. This applies to providers of state-approved nurse aide programs. The limit applies to waiting after approval of the training program and before offering any portion of online training authorized under the act. This limit would take effect in 30 days.

The Department of Health would review facility applications to establish nurse aide training programs. This applies to facilities seeking approval to establish a training program. If the department does not approve an initial application within 45 calendar days of receiving it, the application would count as approved. If the department does not approve a revised application within 15 days of receiving it, the application would count as approved. This provision would take effect in 30 days.