Z-631                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5510

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators West and Kreidler; by request of Department of Licensing

Read first time 1/26/89 and referred to Committee on   Health Care & Corrections.

AN ACT Relating to nursing assistants; amending RCW 18.52A.030 and 18.52A.040; and repealing RCW 18.52A.060.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 3, chapter 114, Laws of 1979 as last amended by section 20, chapter 267, Laws of 1988 and RCW 18.52A.030 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) Any nursing assistant employed by a nursing home, who has satisfactorily completed a nursing assistant training program under this chapter, shall, upon application, be issued a verification of completion by the program provider.

          (2) All nursing assistants employed by a nursing home shall be required to be registered with the department of licensing and to show evidence of satisfactory completion of a nursing assistant training program, or that they are enrolled in and are progressing satisfactorily towards completion of a training program under standards promulgated by the board, which program must be completed within ((six)) four months of employment.  A nursing home may employ a person not currently enrolled if the employer within twenty days enrolls the person in an approved training program:  PROVIDED, That a nursing home shall not assign an assistant to provide resident care until the assistant has demonstrated skills necessary to perform assigned duties and responsibilities competently.  All persons enrolled in a training program must satisfactorily complete the program within ((six)) four months from the date of initial employment.

          (3) Compliance with this section shall be a condition of licensure of nursing homes under chapter 18.51 RCW.  Beginning January 1, 1986, compliance with this section shall be a condition of licensure of hospitals licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW with a wing certified to provide nursing home care under Title XVIII or Title XIX of the social security act.  Any health provider of skilled nursing facility care or intermediate care facility care shall meet the requirements of this section.

        Sec. 2.  Section 4, chapter 114, Laws of 1979 and RCW 18.52A.040 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The board shall establish minimum curriculum standards and approve or disapprove curriculum used in nursing assistant training programs.  ((The standards shall include, as a minimum, instruction in patient environment, patients' psychosocial needs, aseptic technique, personal hygiene, excretory systems, basic nursing procedures, food service, and fire safety, consisting of at least twenty-five classroom hours and at least fifty hours of supervised and on-the-job training clinical practice.  The fifty hours may consist of employment as nurse assistants under supervision of a registered nurse.))

          (2) For nursing assistant training programs conducted by nursing homes, the board shall adopt additional minimum standards covering noncurriculum matters such as, but not limited to, staffing and teacher qualifications.  Of the standards adopted by the board, nursing assistant training programs conducted by publicly supported schools, and private educational institutions accredited by the northwest association of schools and colleges, shall be required to meet only those standards established under subsection (1) of this section.

          (3) The board shall periodically review the nursing assistant training programs conducted by nursing homes.  Upon completion of the review, the board shall approve or disapprove each program.

          (4) The superintendent of public instruction and the state board for community college education shall periodically review with the board the nursing assistant training programs conducted by publicly supported schools within the agencies' respective jurisdictions.  Upon completion of the review, the board shall approve or disapprove each program, and graduates of such approved programs shall automatically be certified.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  Section 6, chapter 114, Laws of 1979 and RCW 18.52A.060 are each repealed.