7 AAC 12.338 - Hiring, orientation, and training

(a) A full-service or volunteer hospice agency shall require each volunteer and each direct service provider

(1) to submit a written application;

(2) to undergo a screening interview and an interview after training;

(3) to receive the orientation and training required

(A) under (b), (c), and (k) of this section, if a volunteer; and

(B) under (b) - (k) of this section, if a direct service provider;

(4) to submit a confidentiality statement, signed by the volunteer or direct service provider, in which the volunteer or direct service provider agrees to follow the program's policy regarding confidentiality; and

(5) if the volunteer or direct service provider will transport individuals, to provide proof of

(A) the motor vehicle liability insurance required under AS 28.22.019; and

(B) a valid driver's license issued by this state.

(b) Before allowing a volunteer or direct service provider to provide a hospice service, a full-service or volunteer hospice agency shall ensure that the individual receives an orientation of at least four hours that is specific to hospice services. The agency shall document this orientation within the first week of employment.

(c) A full-service or volunteer hospice agency shall develop policies and procedures that define the agenda of the orientation. The orientation must include at least the following subjects:

(1) hospice philosophy;

(2) personal death awareness;

(3) communication skills;

(4) personnel issues;

(5) identification of hospice resource people;

(6) stress management;

(7) ethics and confidentiality;

(8) stages of dying;

(9) funeral arrangements.

(d) A full-service hospice agency shall develop policies and procedures to ensure that each indirect service volunteer receives an orientation applicable to the duties the volunteer will perform.

(e) A full-service hospice agency shall provide an educational program that offers a comprehensive overview of hospice philosophy and hospice care. The agency shall provide a minimum of 18 hours of education within a one-year period for each direct service provider delivering hospice care. The four hours of orientation training required under (b) of this section may be counted as part of the 18 hours required under this subsection. The educational program must include at least the following subjects:

(1) hospice philosophy;

(2) family dynamics;

(3) pain and symptom management;

(4) grief, loss, and transition;

(5) psychological perspectives on death and dying;

(6) spirituality;

(7) communication skills;

(8) volunteer roles;

(9) multidisciplinary management.

(f) Documentation of completion of the education program described in (e) of this section is transferable from one hospice agency to another.

(g) A full-service hospice agency shall provide a program of continuing training directed at the maintenance of appropriate skill levels for hospice employees who provide services to clients and their families.

(h) In addition to meeting the other requirements of this section, a full-service hospice agency shall conduct in each service area an orientation program for each new employee and annual in-service training for all employees, including volunteers and contractors, that covers the following topics:

(1) agency policies and procedures;

(2) job duties and responsibilities specific to each employee's job;

(3) recognition of and responses to potential fire, emergency, and home safety hazards;

(4) principles and techniques of infection control; the agency shall verify that its employees, contractors, and volunteers who provide client care, receive training on

(A) universal precautions; in this subparagraph, "universal precautions" means the infectious control precautions that are recommended by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to be used to prevent the transmission of blood-borne germs such as human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus;

(B) the prevention, transmission, and treatment of tuberculosis, in accordance with 7 AAC 12.650(a)(1);

(5) ethics and confidentiality;

(6) applicable state and federal law and the agency's policies and procedures;

(7) functions of other employed health personnel, including functions of hospice volunteers;

(8) coordination of services within the agency and with community services.

(i) A full-service hospice agency shall require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training every two years for each employee who works directly with clients.

(j) To meet the training requirements of this section, a full-service hospice agency shall provide a nurse aide with at least 12 hours of in-service training each calendar year combined with six hours of additional training during the first year of employment. The 12 hours of in-service training must be based on the training needs identified through supervisory visits and the needs of the client being served by the agency. The agency shall provide training for all care duties not included in the basic competency skills identified in 7 AAC 12.333(c).

(k) A full-service or volunteer hospice agency shall provide or arrange for a volunteer training and continuing education program that provides, at a minimum,

(1) orientation and training for new volunteers to acquaint them with the philosophy, organization, services, practices and goals of the hospice program;

(2) the psychosocial and psychological aspects of terminal disease;

(3) family dynamics and psychosocial issues surrounding terminal disease, death, and bereavement;

(4) communication skills; and

(5) initial and continued training needs specific to the duties, responsibilities and competency of each volunteer.

Notes

7 AAC 12.338

Eff. 5/24/2007, Register 182; am 3/17/2022, Register 241, April 2022

Information regarding the universal precautions referred to in 7 AAC 12.338(h) is available from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Inquires/ MASO, Mailstop F07, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333; telephone: (800) 311-3435; website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/Bp_universal_precautions.html

Authority:AS 18.05.040

AS 47.32.010

AS 47.32.030