Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 45, November 9, 2024
Section 139.4 - Nursing services; other health care personnel(a) Neonatal nursing services shall be provided in accordance with Chapter 109 (relating to nursing services) and this section.(b) A registered professional nurse, especially trained and experienced in the care of normal and high-risk infants, shall be responsible for the neonatal care unit at all times when the unit is occupied. No neonate may be left unattended.(c) Licensed nursing personnel shall be assigned to duties consistent with their legal scope of practice. Unlicensed assistive personnel shall be assigned duties consistent with standardized training and competency evaluation.(d) Staffing shall be adequate to meet nursing care goals, standards of nursing practice and nursing care needs of patients. The appropriate number of staff necessary to accomplish these goals, standards and needs shall be established in the written policies of the neonatal service and shall be consistent with the Guidelines.(e) In addition to the requirements for the nursing staff in subsections (a)-(d), there shall be service goals and objectives, standards of patient care, procedure manuals and written job descriptions for each level of other health care personnel which includes the following:(1) A means for assessing the needs of patients and determining adequate staffing to meet those needs.(2) Staffing patterns that are adequate to meet patient care goals, standards of practice and needs of patients.(3) An adequate number of licensed and unlicensed health care personnel to assure that staffing levels meet the total needs of patients.(4) Health care personnel in neonatal services shall be assigned to duties consistent with their training, experience and scope of practice when applicable.