Compliance for the Acute Care or Long-Term Care Settings

As the baby boomer generation ages, the need for medical staffing in the acute and long-term care settings becomes essential. There were 78 million baby boomers born between 1946-1964, and it is estimated that by 2020 nearly 12 million people will need acute or long-term care. This generation is also living longer than the previous one so those numbers will surely increase. With these numbers on the rise it has created a nursing shortage unlike our country has ever seen, but this has also created ample opportunities for travel nursing.

Acute and long-term care compliance for traveling nurses shouldn’t seem challenging or intimidating. Keep in mind that these facilities become a temporary home for those in their care so the compliance requirements might seem more rigid or overwhelming at first. But these requirements are in place to help the best caregivers provide the best possible care. Below are some simple guidelines to help you get your traveler compliant and ready to start the journey to their new assignment.

Licenses– With so many states participating in RN/LPN compact licensing this makes getting your traveler’s state license much easier. Do the research ahead of time to get the most updated information on which states are included in the compact licenses. For those states that aren’t included in the compact licensing, reach out their Board of Nursing for their specific licensing requirements.

Drug Screens– With more and more facilities requiring more in-depth drug testing, be prepared by making sure the lab/clinics that you use can provide all the drug screen panels required by the facility.

Annual Training – Many facilities require annual trainings that include OSHA, HIPAA, safety, abuse, infection control, dementia, etc. Some of these courses may be included in your agency’s own orientation training.

Backgrounds– Most acute or long-term care facilities require backgrounds to go back at least seven years. These backgrounds can include several different specifications. They could require counties or states only or both. Some facilities require National Sex Offender and Social Security Number trace with addresses.

State Specific Compliance– Several states have their own background or training requirements. There are also a few states that require fingerprinting for your traveler. Research each state to find out if there are extra requirements.

The FocusOne Solutions compliance team is here help you get your travelers compliant and ready to start their travel assignments. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us with questions or for guidance. We are all working toward the common goal of getting the best medical travelers compliant so that they can provide the best care for our clients.

Jodi ReverJodi Rever

Jodi is a Compliance Coordinator for FocusOne Solutions. She specializes in long-term care and acute care compliance. Before she joined the compliance team in July 2018, she was a Human Resource Manager for a non-for-profit mental health facility. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband John, 8 children, 9 grandchildren, and her fur baby….a Brussels Griffon named Gizmo.

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