Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-57.10 - Administrator

Each residential care facility shall have one person in charge, duly approved by the department or acting in a provisional capacity in accordance with these rules. (Ill)

(1) Qualifications of an administrator.

a. The administrator shall be at least 21 years of age and shall have a high school diploma or equivalent. (Ill) In addition, this person shall meet at least one of the following conditions:

(1) Have a two-year degree in human services, psychology, sociology, nursing, health care administration, public administration, or a related field and have a minimum of two years' experience in the field; or (III)

(2) Have a four-year degree in human services, psychology, sociology, nursing, health care administration, public administration, or a related field and have a minimum of one year experience in the field; or (III)

(3) Have a master's degree in human services, psychology, sociology, nursing, health care administration, public administration, or a related field and have a minimum of one year experience in the field; or (III)

(4) Be a licensed nursing home administrator; or (III)

(5) Have completed a one-year educational training program approved by the department for residential care facility administrators; or (III)

(6) Have passed the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) RC/AL administrator licensure examination; or

(7) Have two years of direct care experience and at least six months of administrative experience in a residential care facility. (Ill)

b. An individual employed as an administrator on January 14, 2015, will be deemed to meet the requirements of this subrule.

(2) Duties of an administrator. The administrator shall:

a. Select and direct competent personnel who provide services for the residential care program. (Ill)

b. Arrange for the heads of nursing, social services, dietary and activities to attend a minimum of ten contact hours of educational programs per year to increase skills and knowledge needed for their positions. The ten hours is in addition to the in-service requirements in paragraph 57.10(2)"c. " (III)

c. Provide in-service educational programming for all employees with direct resident contact and maintain records of programs and participants. (Ill) In-service educational programming offered during each calendar year shall include, at minimum, the following topics: (I, II, III)

(1) Infection control.

(2) Emergency preparedness (fire, tornado, flood, 911, etc.).

(3) Meal time procedures/dietary.

(4) Resident activities.

(5) Mental illness/behavior modification/crisis intervention.

(6) Resident safety/supervision.

(7) Resident rights.

(8) Medication education, to include administration, storage and drug interactions.

(9) Resident service plans/programming/goals.

(3) Administrator serving at more than one residential care facility. The administrator may be responsible for no more than 150 beds in total if the administrator is an administrator of more than one facility. (II)

a. An administrator of more than one facility shall designate in writing an administrative staff person in each facility who shall be responsible for directing programs in the facility.

b. The administrative staff person designated by the administrator shall:

(1) Have at least one year of experience in a supervisory or direct care position in a residential care facility or in a facility for the intellectually disabled, mentally ill or developmentally disabled; (II, III)

(2) Be knowledgeable of the operation of the facility; (II, III)

(3) Have access to records concerned with the operation of the facility; (II, III)

(4) Be capable of carrying out administrative duties and of assuming administrative responsibilities; (II, III)

(5) Be at least 21 years of age; (III)

(6) Be empowered to act on behalf of the licensee concerning the health, safety and welfare of the residents; and (II, III)

(7) Have training in emergency response, including how to respond to residents' sudden illnesses. (II, III)

c. If an administrator serves more than one facility, the administrator must designate in writing regular and specific times during which the administrator will be available to consult with staff and residents to provide direction and supervision of resident care and services. (II, III)

(4) Provisional administrator. A provisional administrator may be appointed on a temporary basis by the residential care facility licensee to assume the administrative responsibilities for a residential care facility for a period not to exceed one year when the facility has lost its administrator and has not been able to replace the administrator, provided that the department has been notified and approved the provisional administrator prior to the date of the provisional administrator's appointment. (Ill) The provisional administrator must meet the requirements of paragraph 57.10(3)"b. "

(5) Temporary absence of administrator.

a. In the temporary absence of the administrator, a responsible person shall be designated in writing to the department to be in charge of the facility. (Ill) The person designated shall:

(1) Be knowledgeable of the operation of the facility; (III)

(2) Have access to records concerned with the operation of the facility; (III)

(3) Be capable of carrying out administrative duties and of assuming administrative responsibilities; (III)

(4) Be at least 21 years of age; (III)

(5) Be empowered to act on behalf of the licensee during the administrator's absence concerning the health, safety, and welfare of the residents; (III)

(6) Have training in emergency response, including how to respond to residents' sudden illnesses. (II, III)

b. If the administrator is absent for more than six weeks, a provisional administrator must be appointed pursuant to subrule 57.10(4).

Notes

Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-57.10

Amended by IAB December 10, 2014/Volume XXXVII, Number 12, effective 1/14/2015