49 Pa. Code § 39.5 - Requirements for admission to licensing examination; examination procedures
(a) A candidate who
seeks admission to the licensing examination shall meet the following
requirements. The candidate shall:
(1) Be at
least 21 years of age.
(2) Submit
evidence of good moral character and suitability as prescribed by the Board in
the examination application.
(3)
Pay the required fee for examination and licensure.
(b) A candidate who seeks admission to the
licensing examination shall also meet one of the following sets of education
and experience requirements. The candidate shall:
(1) Have:
(i) Successfully completed 120 clock hours in
a program of study approved by the Board as prescribed in §
39.14(a)(2)
(relating to approval of programs of study).
(ii) Successfully completed 2 academic years
of college-level study, 30 semester hours each year, in an accredited
institution of higher learning.
(iii) Done one of the following:
(A) During the 18 months immediately
preceding the date of application, acquired experience in the practice of
nursing home administration by having served satisfactorily in a nursing home
or related health facility as a full-time assistant administrator under the
supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in this
Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are equal to those
of the Commonwealth.
(B) During 3
of the 5 years immediately preceding the date of application, served
satisfactorily as a full-time supervisor in a nursing home or related health
facility , 1,000 hours of which service shall have been in the practice of
nursing home administration under the supervision of a full-time nursing home
administrator licensed in this Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing
standards are equal to those of the Commonwealth.
(2) Have:
(i) Successfully completed 120 clock hours in
a program of study approved by the Board as prescribed in §
39.14(a)(2).
(ii) Been issued a registered nurse license
in this Commonwealth which is currently renewed.
(iii) Done one of the following:
(A) During the 18 months immediately
preceding the date of the application, served satisfactorily as a full-time
director of nursing for 6 months and, during the 12 months immediately
preceding the date of application, but not concurrent with the service as a
director of nursing, acquired experience in the practice of nursing home
administration by having served satisfactorily as a full-time assistant
administrator in a nursing home or related health facility under the
supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in this
Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are equal to those
of the Commonwealth.
(B) During 2
of the 5 years immediately preceding the date of application, served
satisfactorily as a full-time director of nursing in a nursing home or related
health facility , 1,000 hours of which service shall have been in the practice
of nursing home administration under the supervision of a full-time nursing
home administrator licensed in this Commonwealth or in another state whose
licensing standards are equal to those of the Commonwealth.
(3) Have:
(i) Been awarded a baccalaureate degree from
an accredited college or university.
(ii) Successfully completed 120 clock hours
in a program of study approved by the Board as prescribed in §
39.14(a)(2),
unless the candidate has a baccalaureate degree in nursing home administration
or a baccalaureate degree in a program equivalent to nursing home
administration. The burden is on the candidate to demonstrate that the
baccalaureate degree that the candidate has earned is equivalent to a
baccalaureate degree in nursing home administration. Baccalaureate degree
equivalency will be determined by the Board based upon the applicant's
transcripts and course descriptions. Candidates who have successfully completed
a baccalaureate curriculum which is not in nursing home administration or
equivalent to nursing home administration, but incorporates the 120-hour
program as part of the curriculum, are not required to complete the 120-hour
program separately. The burden is on the candidate to demonstrate that the
120-hour program is incorporated in the baccalaureate curriculum. The Board
will evaluate the transcripts and course descriptions of the candidate and
compare them to the requirements of §
39.14(a)(2) to
determine if the 120-hour program was successfully completed as part of the
baccalaureate curriculum.
(iii)
Done one of the following:
(A) During the 9
months immediately preceding the date of application, acquired experience in
the practice of nursing home administration by having served satisfactorily in
a nursing home or related health facility as a full-time assistant
administrator under the supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator
licensed in this Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are
equal to those of the Commonwealth.
(B) During 18 months of the 5 years
immediately preceding the date of application, served satisfactorily as a
full-time supervisor in a nursing home or related health facility , 1,000 hours
of which service shall have been in the practice of nursing home administration
under the supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in
this Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are equal to
those of the Commonwealth.
(C)
During the 2 years immediately preceding the date of application, acquired
1,000 hours of experience in the practice of nursing home administration by
having served satisfactorily as an AIT in a nursing home under the supervision
of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in this Commonwealth or in
another state whose licensing standards are equal to those of the Commonwealth,
in accordance with §§
39.101-39.103 (relating to AIT
Program ).
(4)
Have:
(i) Been awarded, from an accredited
college or university, a master's degree in nursing home administration, in
hospital administration, in public health administration or in another academic
area, including social gerontology, in which there is an emphasis in related
health facility administration.
(ii) Done one of the following:
(A) During the 5 years immediately preceding
the date of application, either acquired 6 months of satisfactory full-time
supervisory experience in the administration of a nursing home under the
supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in this
Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are equal to those
of the Commonwealth or acquired 6 months of satisfactory full-time experience
in the administration of a related health facility under the supervision of a
full-time nursing home administrator licensed in this Commonwealth or in
another state whose licensing standards are equal to those of the
Commonwealth.
(B) During the 2
years immediately preceding the date of application, acquired 800 hours of
experience in the practice of nursing home administration by having served
satisfactorily as an AIT in a nursing home under the supervision of a full-time
nursing home administrator licensed in this Commonwealth or in another state
whose licensing standards are equal to those of the Commonwealth, in accordance
with §§
39.101-39.103.
(5) Have:
(i) Successfully completed 120 clock hours in
a program of study approved by the Board as prescribed in §
39.14(a)(2).
(ii) Acquired 2 years of satisfactory
practical experience in the administration of a nursing home or related health
facility , 1,000 hours of which practical experience shall have been under the
supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in this
Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are equal to those
of the Commonwealth. A candidate will be required to appear personally before
the Board to present documentation of the satisfactory practical experience
claimed which includes a general knowledge of each of the following areas that
are generally dealt with by a nursing home administrator : budget, hiring and
firing, planning, personnel, supervision of staff, psychology of patients,
medical and legal terminology, Federal and State rules and regulations
governing nursing homes, rights of patients, basic principles of contract and
tort law, principles of safety, purchasing, dietetic requirements and patient
care.
(iii) Done one of the
following:
(A) During the 18 months
immediately preceding the date of application, acquired experience in the
practice of nursing home administration by having served satisfactorily in a
nursing home or related health facility as a full-time assistant administrator
under the supervision of a full-time nursing home administrator licensed in
this Commonwealth or in another state whose licensing standards are equal to
those of the Commonwealth.
(B)
During 3 of the last 5 years immediately preceding the date of application,
served satisfactorily as a full-time supervisor in a nursing home or related
health facility , 1,000 hours of which service shall have been in the practice
of nursing home administration under the supervision of a full-time nursing
home administrator licensed in this Commonwealth or in another state whose
licensing standards are equal to those of the Commonwealth.
(c) The hours
of experience in the practice of nursing home administration required of a
candidate qualifying under subsection (b)(1)(iii)(B), (2)(iii)(B), (3)(iii)(B)
or (C), (4)(ii)(B) or (5)(iii)(B) is designed to insure that the candidate has
been exposed to hands-on practical application of the areas of educational
training required in §
39.14(a)(2). The
hours of experience must include a minimum of 300 hours in general
administration, a minimum of 250 hours in patient services and care and a
minimum of 250 hours in health and social service delivery systems. Any
remaining hours may be distributed as needed to obtain the best results for
each individual candidate. The nursing home administrator who supervised the
candidate shall certify that the candidate has acquired the minimum number of
hours for each area.
(d) A
candidate shall pass a written examination that comprises two parts. Both parts
of the examination are administered by a professional testing organization.
(1) An examination on the general principles
of nursing home administration that are common to all jurisdictions that
license nursing home administrators, known as the "uniform part."
(2) An examination on the regulations of the
Department of Health in 28 Pa. Code Part IV Subpart C (relating to long term
care facilities), known as the "State part."
(e) To pass the examination, a candidate
shall achieve a passing score on both the uniform and State parts as set by the
Board .
(f) Upon a timely request,
the Board may allow a candidate to take the examination with the aid of a
proctor, if the candidate is unable, because of physical problems, to take the
examination under ordinary circumstances.
(g) A candidate who passes one part of the
examination and fails the other is required to retake only the part failed. A
candidate for reexamination on one or both parts of the examination shall
submit an application to the Board and pay the required examination fee. As a
condition precedent to reexamination after four failures, the Board may require
the candidate to attend Board -approved courses of study in subjects prescribed
by the Board .
(h) A special
examination will not be given to a candidate except as provided in subsection
(f).
Notes
The provisions of this § 39.5 amended under section
506 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. §
186); and the
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