Section 380-5-2 - General Regulations Relating to the Prescribed Generalist Curriculum for Nursing Assistant Training ProgramsApproval and monitoring of training programs for nursing assistants shall be carried out in accordance with 32 M.R.S.A. Section 2104.
A. The Board's PRESCRIBED GENERALIST CURRICULUM FOR NURSING ASSISTANT BASIC TRAINING PROGRAMS shall be utilized for nursing assistant training programs. 1. The registered professional nurse, by law, is responsible for the supervision and teaching of nursing personnel. Therefore, a registered professional nurse shall be in charge of the instructional program to prepare assistants to nurses.2. No program shall be conducted that includes less than 70 hours of classroom instruction, 20 hours of skills laboratory and 40 hours of correlated, supervised clinical practice (Shall be effective September 1, 2021).3. The clinical instructor/student ratio of one to one may at times be necessary for adequate learning and safe patient care. The clinical instructor/student ratio must be at least one instructor for every ten students. The registered professional nurse instructor must provide direct onsite supervision during clinical learning experiences.4. All course objectives must be met to successfully complete this program. All skills must be demonstrated, and the student must perform return demonstrations satisfactorily, either in the clinical setting or in the skills laboratory.5. Content need not be taught in the order listed. Time may be added and emphasis made by the instructor to highlight certain aspects of the curriculum.6. Certified nursing assistant program students will not be taught content beyond what is included in the Board approved PRESCRIBED GENERALIST CURRICULUM FOR NURSING ASSISTANT TRAINING PROGRAMS.B. Accreditation or Approval by Other Organizations The institution or agency conducting the training program or course, as well as the institutions or agencies cooperating with the program, shall be licensed or approved by the appropriate State licensing authority or accredited by the appropriate organization.
C. Instructional Staff 1. Each registered professional nurse shall be currently licensed to practice as a registered professional nurse in Maine or hold a current registered nurse multistate license issued by a state that has adopted the Nurse Licensure Compact in which the licensee legally resides and meet the federal requirements for nursing assistant instructors [42 CFR 483.152].2. Only registered professional nurses shall serve as classroom and clinical instructors. Members of other disciplines may assist in the teaching as necessary and desirable.D. Students 1. Qualifications for Admission a) Completion of the ninth grade of school (high school graduation or high school equivalency diploma preferred.b) Minimum age of 16 years.c) Nineth-grade English reading and writing competency level on the Test of Adult Basic education (TABE), Competency Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS), or other competency assessment mechanisms as approved by the Board.2. Requirements for Retention and Completion a) The instructional staff shall develop requirements for class attendance, scholastic achievement; (minimum of 70%), clinical competence, and personal growth that shall be consistent with the goal of maintaining the highest quality of health care for the patient.b) Criteria for determining student progress shall be developed and used by the instructional staff in the evaluation of the students at intervals throughout the training program.c) Policies or procedures pertaining to dismissal shall be clearly stated and shall adequately safeguard the rights of both the students and the institution or agency conducting the training program.d) All the above shall be available in writing to the students.E. Certificate of Training 1. The institution or agency conducting the program shall issue a certificate of training to each student who satisfactorily completes the training program. Such certificate shall clearly designate the following:a) Completion of the Board's PRESCRIBED GENERALIST CURRICULUM FOR NURSING ASSISTANT TRAINING PROGRAMS;b) Number of classroom, skills laboratory, and supervised clinical hours;c) Beginning and ending dates of the program;d) Name of the agency conducting the training program;e) Signature of the registered professional nurse director of the training program; andf) Statement of approval by the Department of Health and Human Services.2. The director of a nursing educational program preparing persons for admission to a licensure examination may issue a certificate of training to a currently enrolled student or to a former student who has terminated enrollment in the program when such individual has satisfactorily completed at least the equivalent of the Board's PRESCRIBED GENERALIST CURRICULUM FOR NURSING ASSISTANT TRAINING PROGRAMS.F. Facilities and Resources 1. The physical facilities utilized for the training program shall be adequate to the needs of the program and to the size of instructional staff and student body. These include classrooms, conference rooms, and laboratories sufficient in numbers and size to facilitate scheduling classes on a sound educational basis and to fulfill the objectives of the program.2. The resources for planned learning experiences shall include the quality and variety needed for the objectives of the training program.G. Hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice and facilities providing assisted housing services licensed under 10-144 CMR Ch. 113, REGULATIONS GOVERNING the LICENSING and FUNCTIONING of ASSISTED HOUSING PROGRAMS may be utilized for clinical learning experiences. Such health care facilities shall meet federal requirements for nursing assistant training [42 CFR 483.151(b)(2).H. Up-to-date learning resources shall be available for use by students and instructors consistent with the needs of the curriculum.I. Evaluation of Training Program The registered professional nurse director of the training program and the instructors shall be responsible for determining and developing methods and procedures to be used in measuring the extent to which the objectives of the training program have been achieved. The results shall be the basis for future action in planning improved program delivery.