House Resolution 61

PAG LIN

  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. ___
  1  2                       BY  HEATON
  1  3 A Resolution relating to the shortage of nursing home
  1  4    administrators and requesting the State Board of
  1  5    Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators to make
  1  6    recommendations for addressing the shortage.
  1  7    WHEREAS, there are fewer than 700 actively licensed
  1  8 nursing home administrators in this state to serve 439
  1  9 nursing facilities; and
  1 10    WHEREAS, many of the licensed nursing home
  1 11 administrators have retired, but have maintained an
  1 12 active license; and
  1 13    WHEREAS, less than 4 percent of all actively
  1 14 licensed nursing home administrators in this state are
  1 15 between the ages of 21 to 29, and more than 47 percent
  1 16 are over the age of 50; and
  1 17    WHEREAS, since the adoption of new licensure
  1 18 requirements in 1999, the state has experienced a
  1 19 dramatic decrease of approximately 60 percent in the
  1 20 number of individuals entering the field of nursing
  1 21 home administration; and
  1 22    WHEREAS, a majority of licensed nursing home
  1 23 administrators have indicated they would not enter the
  1 24 field of nursing home administration today if they
  1 25 were required to meet current education and practicum
  1 26 requirements; and
  1 27    WHEREAS, seventy=six percent of licensed nursing
  1 28 home administrators recently surveyed identified
  1 29 excessive regulation as their primary reason for
  1 30 leaving the profession, and cited as an additional
  2  1 reason the inability to find adequate staff amid a
  2  2 shrinking pool of health care workers; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  3    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2  4 That the State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home
  2  5 Administrators address the shortage of nursing home
  2  6 administrators in this state by reviewing current
  2  7 educational and practicum requirements for nursing
  2  8 home administration and comparing those requirements
  2  9 with the requirements of surrounding states; and
  2 10    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the State Board of
  2 11 Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators consider the
  2 12 development of rules allowing an individual with a
  2 13 four=year degree in either health, business, or human
  2 14 services who has passed the national administrator
  2 15 board examination to obtain a one=year temporary
  2 16 nursing home administrator license and to work under
  2 17 the supervision of a licensed nursing home
  2 18 administrator while obtaining a permanent license.
  2 19 LSB 3423HH 80
  2 20 rn/cl/14