If you are a registered nurse in a long term care facility who has experience in managing employees, budgeting, or event planning, this could be an ideal career advancement opportunity for you. Being an NHA requires years of education and training in order to ensure you fully understand and comply with a host of federal and state healthcare regulations, so understand you’ll need to continually invest time in your education. Start by interviewing or shadowing an NHA in your long term care facility or in one near to you. Talk to them about the process of becoming an NHA. These first hand accounts can offer important insight.
The NAB recognizes the background check that is required by the state agency. The California Department of Public Health’s Nursing Home Administrator Program (NHAP) requires all applicants to have a criminal background check by submitting fingerprints through the Live Scan system. If you have been assigned to make payments, serve time, complete volunteer hours, or otherwise make restitution for a criminal act, you must provide proof that you have complied with all parameters of your sentence. This includes paying speeding or parking tickets, being current on alimony and child support, and other similar court appointed items.
Ask your references to include information about your compliance with regulations as part of their letters. Make a list of various tasks you regularly perform within state and federal regulations, and include documentation that proves this. Commonly, nursing homes will require their employees to take annual exams to ensure they understand and comply with the Human Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, and sensitivity training. You should include documentation of these courses or exams.
You can find lists of state and federal programs online through the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). The NAB is building a list of accredited programs across the US, and as this list continues to grow, these programs will likely set the standard for NHA education. This may be a good point of reference when looking for a program. [2] X Research source Ask other NHAs you know about their educational backgrounds. This can be a great way to hear the behind the scenes stories about educational programs, and select a school that works for you.
You can attend any university in the US and some international programs to earn admittance to the state and federal NHA exams, but they may have different internship requirements. In these situations, you may need to complete an Administrator in Training program.
You can contact California’s NHAP for a list of qualified preceptors in your area. You must receive approval from the NHAP exam board before beginning an AIT. You’ll receive approval by submitting your preceptor’s qualifications, an outline of the 1000 hours of training, an application form, and the necessary fees. You have one year from the time your AIT is approved to complete the program.
Internships completed as part of your graduate education will be verifiable via your transcript. If you complete an AIT program, your preceptor will need to complete and submit an evaluation form as part of your verification documentation.
You need to provide adequate documentation to demonstrate that you are unable to attend traditional college or university training due to your religious practices or beliefs. This can include religious texts, letters from leaders within your religious organization, and historical documentation showing that other NHAs in your facility have not completed conventional educational training. You will also need to provide information proving that the nursing facility you would be working for is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization approved by the Internal Revenue Service. You should complete your AIT within a nursing home run by your religious organization. If you are granted an educational waiver, you may only be hired to work for long term care facilities within your religion.
Reach out to state and national NHA organizations to find out about seminars, webinars, courses, and other continuing education opportunities in your area. College courses taken by semester earn 15 hours of credit, and courses taken by quarter receive 10 hours of continuing education credit. If you offer seminars or teach courses to other NHAs, you’ll be able to use 16 hours of that time toward your own continuing education hours. Preceptors may record 20 hours of their time training NHA candidates toward their own continuing education hours.
The federal exam is comprised of 150 multiple choice questions. 38% of these related to resident centered care, 13% relate to human resources, 13% to finance, 15% to environment, and 21% to leadership and management. You can find recommended reading, practice exams, and more at https://www. nabweb. org/exam-references. The California exam is 100 multiple choice questions. It covers the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA), the California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 5, and other aspects of nursing home administration performance and requirements specific to the state of California.
Once you apply, the associated credit or debit card is validated and the examination fee is charged. As of December 2016, the fee was $375. You will receive an email verifying your application and the fee. The California state board will be notified of your application, and they will notify you and the NAB within four months confirming or denying your eligibility to sit for the exam. Upon approval from the California board, you will receive an email from the NAB that includes an Authorization-to-Test letter. Once you’ve received the Authorization-to-Test letter from the NAB, you will have sixty days in which to schedule and complete the exam. [4] X Research source
You will need to complete an application form. The application is only one page in length and indicates to the California state exam board that you meet all of the basic and educational requirements to sit for the exam. If you earn at least a 75% on all aspects of the state exam, you will receive notification of your eligibility to apply for NHA licensing in the state of California via email.
If you are applying for a position within a nursing home that caters to more active seniors, you may want to emphasize your past experience in planning and implementing activities and events within long term care communities or at other points in your life. Planning an event for a college sorority takes many of the same budgeting, organization, and other skills that planning events for seniors requires. If you apply for a job where the position asks for someone who can implement employee performance reviews, training, and educational practices, emphasize any experience you have with human resources. Most importantly, try to use the same terminology the job posting uses. If you show you can speak the language of the long term care facility you hope to work for, those reviewing your application materials are more likely to interpret your resume positively.
Update your references anytime you apply for a position to let them know they may be contacted. A quick email or phone call will usually suffice. Say something like, “I sent in an application to a new long term care facility. Would you still be willing to be contacted as a reference for me?” Ask for letters of reference that verify the information you convey in your resume. If you claim to have managed a large budget in your role as nursing home director, ask your administrator something like, “Would you be able to write a letter of reference offering your opinion of my performance. Specifically, could you explain how I managed the supply budgets for the past several years, and what that entailed?”
The California Association of Health Facilities is an excellent resource for career opportunities, networking, and continuing education in the state of California. You can also join the NAB. As a member of the NAB, you will have access to a variety of nation-wide training resources, up-to-date information about the NHA community, and current job opportunities. [6] X Research source
Ask other NHAs you know if they used a staffing agency, and what their thoughts are. Before signing up to work with a staffing agency, ask for a detailed explanation of any placement or service fees associated with their company. In most cases, the employer pays these, but this is not always the case.
During your interview, ask questions based on information from their website, especially if the facility seems proud of a specific event or service. If you find any issues that concern you when exploring resident reviews, the Better Business Bureau, Glassdoor, and other sites, don’t hesitate to ask about them. If you’re going to work for a long term care facility in an administrative role, you’ll need to have a complete understanding of these concerns going in to do an effective job. Unless a job ad specifies otherwise, wait 2 weeks before following up on your job application and interview. Administrators are often overwhelmed with work and job applicants and need time to review your qualifications.
