1416.55-1416.57
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 1416.55-1416.57
1416.55. (a) An Administrator-in-Training Program (AIT Program) shall be developed by the NHAP, in consultation with representatives from the long-term care industry and advocacy groups. The AIT Program shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following areas of instruction: (1) Orientation. (2) Administration and business office. (3) State and federal regulations governing long-term care facilities. (4) Residents' rights and abuse prevention. (5) Staffing requirements and workforce retention. (6) Nursing services. (7) Resident activities. (8) Resident care. (9) Social services. (10) Dietary management. (11) Environmental care, including housekeeping, laundry, and maintenance. (12) Financial management. (13) General management. (14) Government regulations. (15) Legal management. (16) Personnel management and training. (17) Consultants and contracts. (18) Medical records. (19) Public relations and marketing. (b) A person who seeks to satisfy requirements for admission to licensure examinations through participation in an AIT Program shall first receive approval to begin the AIT Program. An applicant shall successfully complete the AIT Program in a program-approved facility under the coordination, supervision, and teaching of a preceptor who has obtained certification from the program and continues to meet the qualifications set forth in the rules and regulations of the program. (c) In order to be eligible for the AIT Program, an applicant shall submit an application package on forms provided by the NHAP, and pay the applicable fees established by this chapter. The applicant shall be at least 18 years of age. (d) In addition to the requirements in subdivision (c), the applicant shall meet one or a combination of the following requirements to be eligible for the AIT Program: (1) A doctorate degree in medicine and a current valid license as a physician and surgeon. (2) A baccalaureate degree. (3) Ten years of full-time work experience and a current valid license as a registered nurse. At least the most recent five years of the 10 years of work experience shall be in a supervisory or director of nursing position. (4) Ten years of full-time work experience in any department of a skilled nursing facility, an intermediate care facility, or an intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled with at least 60 semester units (or 90 quarter units) of college or university courses. At least the most recent five years of the 10 years of work experience shall be in a position as a department manager. (5) Ten years of full-time hospital administration experience in an acute care hospital with at least 60 semester units (or 90 quarter units) of college or university courses. At least the most recent five years of the 10 years of work experience shall be in a supervisory position. (e) An applicant for the AIT Program may obtain from the department a waiver of the education requirements in subdivision (d) if he or she meets the requirements of Section 1416.23. (f) The applicant shall submit an official transcript that evidences the completion of required college or university courses, degrees, or both. An applicant who is a member of a recognized church or religious denomination whose teachings historically prohibit the acquisition of the formal education that would otherwise be required to qualify the applicant for the AIT Program may request a written waiver of the education requirements from the department. (g) An applicant who qualifies for the AIT Program on the basis of work experience shall submit a declaration signed under penalty of perjury verifying his or her work experience. This declaration shall be signed by a licensed nursing home administrator, physician and surgeon, chief of staff, director of nurses, or registered nurse who can attest to the applicant's work experience. 1416.57. (a) An individual may, upon compliance with the requirements of this section, be approved by the program to be a preceptor who is authorized to provide a training program in which the preceptor coordinates, supervises, and teaches persons seeking to meet specified requirements to qualify for the licensing examination under this chapter. The approval obtained under this section shall be effective for a period of two years, after which the preceptor is required to renew his or her preceptor status and attend a preceptor training course provided by the program. (b) In order to qualify to be a preceptor, a person shall meet all of the following conditions: (1) Be a current active California licensed nursing home administrator. (2) Have no pending disciplinary actions. (3) Have served for at least two years as the designated administrator of a California licensed nursing home or for at least four years as the designated assistant administrator of a California licensed nursing home. (4) Have gained experience in all administrative functions of a nursing home. (c) The applicant seeking approval to be a preceptor shall submit an application form provided by the program that requires the applicant's name, address, birth date, the states and dates of issuance of all professional licenses, including those as a nursing home administrator, and any other information required by the program. (d) At the time of application, for purposes of substantiating that the conditions specified in subdivision (b) have been met, the applicant shall provide satisfactory evidence of his or her education, experience, and knowledge that qualifies him or her to supervise the training of an AIT Program participant and verification that the facilities at which the applicant has had direct management control as an administrator had a continuous operating history, free from major deficiencies, during the period of the applicant's administration. (e) An applicant shall not be approved as a preceptor until the applicant attends a preceptor's training seminar provided or approved by the program. (f) (1) For purposes of this section, "AIT" means Administrator-in-Training. (2) The following requirements shall apply to a preceptor approved pursuant to this section: (A) The preceptor shall provide a directly supervised training program that will include a minimum of 20 hours per week and a maximum of 60 hours per week and be available at least by telephone at all other times. There shall be regular personal contact between the preceptor and the AIT during the training program. For purposes of this subparagraph, "a directly supervised training program" means supervision by a preceptor of an AIT during the performance of duties authorized by this section. The preceptor shall be available during the AIT's performance of those duties. (B) The preceptor shall be the designated administrator of the facility where the training is conducted. (C) The preceptor may not supervise more than two AIT trainees during the same time period. (D) The preceptor shall inform the NHAP of any significant training program changes dealing with his or her specific AIT. (E) The preceptor shall rate the AIT's training performance and complete an AIT evaluation report at the end of the AIT's training. (F) The preceptor shall be evaluated by the program based on the examination success and failure history of his or her AIT trainees and the program may revoke or suspend preceptor certificates as appropriate.