By: Maria- Paula
Governor Glenn Youngkin this week announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Board of Nursing is implementing changes to improve the availability of training, quality of training and the hiring process of qualified nurse aides.
“Today’s actions by the Board of Nursing will increase opportunities for Nurse Aides in Virginia. It will also help alleviate the shortage of qualified nurse aides and ensure that we are providing the best patient care for all Virginians. Reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens is key to providing more employment opportunities and attracting more talent to Virginia,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.
John Littel, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, also expressed gratitude to the Board of Nursing for their strategic efforts to bringing more people into the nursing profession, especially at a time when the demand for nurses is widespread.
“Nurse aides are often an entry point for careers in nursing and an important part of this profession, providing direct care to patients and being a force multiplier for nurses,” said Littel. “They are a critical part of the team that Governor Youngkin calls ‘Virginia’s Quiet Heroes.’”
After the COVID-19 epidemic and its restrictions, nurse aide programs have had persistent issues which have perpetuated the difficulty of retaining qualified personnel to train in these programs. Through this regulatory change, other qualified health professionals can instruct nurse aide students. This will in return equip the next generation of healthcare heroes with robust skills necessary to tackle modern day challenges in the health sector.
Ensuring appropriate and timely training is imperative for the 236 nurse aide programs across the Commonwealth with qualified and approved instructors. The Virginia Board of Nursing is therefore officially taking comments on a fast-track regulation through March 1, 2023, and March 16, 2023, when the changes will take place.
Recommendations for comment and quick action include:
•Allow nurse aide training to occur in a “clinical setting” outside of a nursing home facility focusing on geriatric care.
•Require only the program coordinator or primary instructor, but not both individuals to hold a license as an RN.
•Remove requirements for geriatric care experience for RN and LPN instructors and instructor experience from 2 years to 1 year.
•Clarify roles and duties of instructional personnel and seek professionals from other health professions to supplement as primary instructors.
If adopted, the changes will positively impact the available supply of potential instructors, create potential for increased size of nurse aid programs, and cultivate flexible options for teaching facilities.
Interested participants can comment through Townhall and Virginia.gov.
