The October 2009 issue of The Gerontologist features two studies that use data from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS). Read the full story

As the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign enters its second year, an overhaul of its original eight goals has been announced. Three of these goals relate directly to the workforce. Read the full story

THE GERONTOLOGIST Vol. 49, No. 2 (April 2009)

An article in The Gerontologist (April 2009) examines the results of a first-ever National Nursing Assistant Survey and reports on the prevalence of work-related injuries, use of public assistance, and lack of health insurance among certified nursing assistants.

The lead author of the article, The National Nursing Assistant Survey: Improving the Evidence Base for Policy Initiatives to Strengthen the Certified Nursing Assistant Workforce, is Senior Policy Analyst Marie Squillace, Ph.D., of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Read the full story

Directors of nursing, human resource staff, and administrators of nursing homes can learn about how to reduce turnover at a free technical assistance webinar on September 25.

Experts including long-term care consultants Barbara Frank and David Farrell, Marguerite McLaughlin of Quality Partners of Rhode Island, and more will discuss the variables affecting recruitment and retention and describe a variety of interventions and best management practices that can improve retention. Among the presenters is Doug Motter of Homestead Village in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who will talk about how staff has been affected by the culture change process his facility is going through, which includes implementing the coaching model of supervision.

The Staff Stability webinar is the last in a series of three webinars offered by the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign. The others focused on reducing restraints and assessing resident satisfaction.

Details and registration information (pdf)

Elise Nakhnikian, Senior Online Editor
enakhnikian@phinational.org

There were no speakers and no breakout groups — just a fun time for all on a beautiful, sunny day at our June 14 celebration of the founding of the Virginia Association of Professional Nursing Assistants. The pictures are of our the board of directors — and our birthday cake.

Seeing all those direct-care workers in the same room at the same time was just what the doctor ordered, and it was a sight to behold.

While soaking in the smooth sounds of jazz by Paul Hardcastle, we enjoyed body massages, belly dancing exercises, games, cosmetic makeovers, and lots of good food.

On the serious side, we received a proclamation from the City of Hampton recognizing National Nursing Assistants Week.

Lorrene Maynard, CNA
Executive Director, VAPNA
professionalcna@hotmail.com   

Recommendations for Establishing a Credentialing System for Iowa’s Direct Care Workforce, (pdf) a recent publication from the Iowa Direct Care Worker Task Force, is a useful tool for advocates in any state who want to create “an accessible, comprehensible, flexible, quality system of education and training for all direct care workers.”

The report documents work to be done to implement recommendations published by the task force in December 2006.  Work began on the project last month.

Iowa’s proposed three-tiered credentialing system is intended to ensure that all direct-care workers are adequately prepared for the job. It also aims to make workers’ duties and qualifications clear to the consumers and family members who hire them, to acknowledge their special skills, and to correct the inequities of the current system, which requires training in some settings but not in others even when the same set of services is delivered in both.

Read the full story