4751-1-09. Administrator-in-training program

(A) Introduction: The board has established the administrator-in-training ("AIT") program as the way for a person who seeks initial licensure as a nursing home administrator to obtain a period of practical training and experience ("internship") in nursing home administration under direct supervision of a licensed nursing home administrator ("preceptor") who is in full-time practice in a nursing home that the board approved as the AIT's training agency ("internship site").

(B) Dates: All internships in the AIT program shall begin on the first day of the first month of the calendar quarter, namely: January 1, April 1, July 1, or October 1.

(C) Registration:

(1) How to register: To register for internship in the AIT program, an applicant shall submit all of the following items to the board:

(a) The fee transmittal sheet, preliminary data for AIT program, the AIT application, the employment status form, and the facility survey form having complete and accurate entries of information.

(b) Certified transcript(s) of college credits and proof of degree(s), in accordance with paragraph (A)(4) of rule 4751-1-05 of the Administrative Code; said transcripts to be sent by the institution directly to the office of the board.

(c) Certificate or other specific and adequate documentation of completion of approved course of study or program of instruction meeting the special academic requirements in the subject areas specific to health care administration in accordance with paragraph (A)(5) of rule 4751-1-05 of the Administrative Code.

(d) Any additional or supplemental documentation to support data entries on the application form and to establish any qualifying administrative experience.

(e) The training plan, with its supporting documentation.

(2) Deadline: The applicant shall submit all parts of the application to the board so that the application is on file with the board at least fourteen days before the regular board meeting that precedes the requested beginning date of an internship with the AIT program.

(3) Board approval: The board shall only approve an applicant's registration for internship in the AIT program if the board is satisfied that the applicant meets, or has arranged to meet, each of the following requirements:

(a) The applicant is at least twenty-one years of age.

(b) The applicant has good character.

(c) The applicant has good health and is otherwise suitable to the practice of nursing home administration according to paragraph (A)(3) of rule 4751-1-05 of the Administrative Code.

(d) The applicant meets general education requirements of paragraph (A)(4) of rule 4751-1-05 of the Administrative Code.

(e) The applicant has submitted records to the board to verify that he or she meets, or has arranged to meet, the special academic requirements of paragraph (A)(5) of rule 4751-1-05 of the Administrative Code.

(f) The applicant has arranged for an internship at an internship site(s) of which the board approves, pursuant to paragraph (A)(6) of rule 4751-1-05 of the Administrative Code.

(g) The internship site(s) will not employ the applicant in any capacity other than that of an AIT during the internship hours.

(h) The applicant does not have a substantial financial interest in any nursing home that will be the internship site at which he or she would serve a major portion of his or her internship.

(i) The applicant successfully completed a background check (BCI and FBI) with the results sent directly to the board office.

(j) The applicant completed the report of conviction form, as applicable.

(k) Except as provided in rule 3701-13-06 of the Administrative Code, the board shall not license, register, or certify an applicant if the applicant has been convicted of a violation of rule 3701-13-05 of the Administrative Code.

(D) Training site:

(1) The training site shall comply with all the following:

(a) The training site shall be under the full-time supervision of a licensed nursing home administrator who qualifies as a preceptor. Full-time is defined as a minimum of thirty-five hours per week in the nursing facility. If the licensed nursing home administration splits time between multiple buildings, the AIT shall follow the preceptor to those sites, and those additional sites shall also be approved.

(b) The training site shall provide professional nursing care under the full-time supervision of a director of nursing who is a registered nurse. The director of nursing shall have at least two years' full-time experience as an RN in a nursing home or hospital.

(c) The training site shall be staffed and operated in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and rules. The administrator shall be asked to submit copies of all current survey reports.

(2) The internship shall only be served at the training site(s) approved by the board prior to the beginning of the program. An alternate training site is allowed on a temporary basis only for specific purposes (e.g., when such training cannot be provided at the approved site).

(E) Training plan: The training plan for internship in the AIT program shall provide documentation that the following requirements have been, or will be, met:

(1) A pre-training assessment of the applicant's background in terms of educational level, pertinent experience, maturity, motivation, and initiative has been made jointly by the applicant and the preceptor.

(2) Based on the pre-training assessment, the applicant and the preceptor have jointly developed a detailed goal-oriented training plan with adequate supporting documentation that relates educational objectives, subject areas of the core of knowledge in nursing home administration, training sites and/or agencies involved, estimated number of hours needed for mastering each objective, and total number of hours in the training plan.

(3) Supporting documentation for the training plan shall include preceptor's qualifications, the qualifications of the nursing director at the internship site(s), and a description of each internship site and the staff that is necessary to determine the site's adequacy to meet specific goals in the training plan.

(F) Training hours:

(1) An internship is approved for a set number of months and hours. Both the months and the hours apply, i.e., a nine-month, one-thousand-five-hundred- hour internship shall be completed over nine months and a total of one thousand five hundred hours. This applies to internships of all lengths.

(2) Time spent at the core of knowledge course does not count towards the hours required for the internship.

(3) The AIT is expected to serve the internship primarily between the hours of six a.m and six p.m, Monday to Friday, and serve a minimum of thirty-five hours per week. This does not preclude the AIT from training on weekends and second and third shifts. The preceptor is expected to be available to the AIT by phone but is not expected to work the varying shifts with the AIT.

(4) An AIT may be granted internship credit for up to ten days of jury duty, but if the days of jury duty exceed that number, the AIT shall request a leave of absence for the additional days and be required to make up the time. The board shall not unreasonably deny such request.

(5) Requests for reduction in internship hours are granted for two reasons: education and experience:

(a) Significant experience in a nursing facility is required in order to qualify for a three-month/five-hundred-hour reduction based upon experience. The AIT shall be able to demonstrate mastery of at least five-hundred-hours' worth of training plan knowledge specific to a nursing facility setting.

(b) The board shall review all requests for reduction.

(G) Evaluation:

(1) Monitoring: During an internship, the board may monitor the internship and may call for the AIT and preceptor into a conference with the board.

(2) AIT reporting:

(a) Each AIT shall file such periodic and summary reports as required by and in the format prescribed by the board.

(b) The AIT and the preceptor shall both sign, then file, each report required in paragraph (E)(1) of this rule with the board no more than ten days after the end of each reporting period.

(c) If an AIT fails to report to the board before the deadline in paragraph (E)(2) of this rule, the board may determine that the AIT abandoned the AIT program.

(3) Board determination: After the AIT completes an internship, the board shall determine if the AIT received training that complies with this rule before the board admits the AIT to licensure examination.

(H) Reciprocity: The board may grant credit towards the AIT program for an AIT's internship in another state's internship program if the AIT registers with the board no later than ninety days after he or she leaves the other state's training program.

(I) Preceptors:

(1) No preceptor shall be related by blood or marriage to the AIT.

(2) No preceptor shall have a personal financial interest in the licensure of an AIT.

(3) A preceptor shall not train his or her employer or supervisor.

(4) The AIT program is not responsible for any financial arrangements between an AIT and the preceptor/facility.

(5) At the discretion of the board, a licensed nursing home administrator may be approved by the board to supervise the practical training and experience of future nursing home administrators in the board-approved AIT program.

(6) Approval is temporary and shall be re-applied for prior to the start of each training program. If the board should determine that a nursing home administrator is unsatisfactory to serve as a preceptor, the board may withdraw its approval and deny future approval.

(7) The board shall base its approval on the following:

(a) Whether or not the administrator is in good standing with the board: has an active license, and any recent disciplinary action on record.

(b) Whether or not the administrator has successfully completed NAB's online preceptor training course.

(c) Whether or not the administrator has successfully mentored other AITs.

(d) The manner in which the administrator has administered the facility as documented by state inspections and certifications and any recent substandard care citations.

(e) A preceptor shall be a full-time nursing home administrator who has been licensed in and has practiced full-time in Ohio for a minimum of two years and shall have a current certificate of registration.

(8) The preceptor shall request permission from the board to train more than one AIT concurrently. There is a limit of two AITs per preceptor at any one time.

(9) The preceptor shall contact the board if problems arise that preclude the successful completion of the program by the AIT.

(10) The preceptor shall notify the board of any employment status changes potentially affecting the AIT's internship program.

(11) If a preceptor fails to provide the AIT an opportunity to follow and complete the board-approved training plan while the AIT is under the preceptor's supervision, the board may disqualify the preceptor from further service in the preceptor program.

(J) Adverse actions:

(1) If an AIT discontinues his or her internship in the approved internship site(s), the AIT and the preceptor shall report the AIT's discontinuance to the board before the tenth day after the discontinuance.

(2) The board may disqualify or disallow all (or part) of an internship period if the board determines that an AIT fails to serve an internship that complies with this rule.

(3) The board may terminate or rearrange all or part of the internship if, during an AIT's internship, the board determines that the internship is unsatisfactory.

(4) An AIT shall not serve in the capacity of a licensed nursing home administrator or assistant administrator. The board may disqualify the entire internship period of an AIT who serves in the capacity of a licensed nursing home administrator.

(5) If a preceptor fails to provide the AIT an opportunity for an adequate internship while the AIT is under his or her supervision, the board may disqualify the preceptor from further service in the AIT program.

(6) The board may deny an AIT admission for examination to become a licensed nursing home administrator if the AIT falsified or misrepresented facts on an application, documents that support an application, or in any periodic or summary reports on an internship.

(7) According to rule 4751-1-12 of the Administrative Code, the board may suspend or revoke a license if the administrator falsified or misrepresented facts on an application, documents that support an application, or in any periodic or summary reports on an internship.

(K) Non-party: Any financial arrangements between preceptor/facility and administrator-in-training are the joint responsibility of the parties involved and are not the responsibility of the board.

(L) Definitions for this rule:

"AIT application" means "'Form AIT' (Rev., January, 2017)."

"Employment status form" means "'Employment Status Form' (Rev., December, 2016)."

"Facility survey form" means "'Facility Survey Form' (Rev., December, 2016)."

"Fee transmittal sheet" means "'Fee Transmittal Sheet' (Rev., January, 2017)."

"Preliminary data for AIT program" means "'Preliminary Data for AIT Program' (Rev., October, 2015)."

"Report of conviction form" means "'Report of Conviction Form' (Rev., October, 2015)."

Effective: 4/16/2018
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 1/18/2018 and 04/16/2023
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4751.04 ; 42 U.S.C. 1396g(c)(1); 42 C.F.R. 431.707
Rule Amplifies: 4751.04 , 4751.043 ; 42 U.S.C. 1396g(c); 42 C.F.R. 431.707, 431.708
Prior Effective Dates: 09/29/1970, 10/01/1974, 06/01/2015