What are the benefits of RN certification for long-term care facilities?
Research and quality improvement studies have documented numerous benefits to the institution when RN staff are certified. These include:
- Improved patient outcomes, for example:
- Keener physiological/psychological observation;
- Better prevention: infection, pressure ulcers, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), etc.;
- Improved pain management;
- Reduced frequency of patient falls - a leading cause of serious injury among the elder population;
- Improved medication monitoring, including rapid awareness adverse side effects.
- Better communication - with elderly residents, with their families, among nursing staff members, between RNs and facility administrators.
- Overall increase in care quality and patient safety.
- Greater patient/family satisfaction and referrals.
- Increased RN job satisfaction and retention: lower turnover/replacement costs. Improved work environment.
- Enhanced patient recruitment. Families are unanimously impressed, and comforted, by the fact that you have board certified gerontological RNs on staff.
- Increased success in recruiting top-quality RNs.
In addition, research conducted by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in 2016 found that nursing facilities with at least one RN board certified in gerontological nursing performed better than their peers. These nursing facilities:
- Were twice as a likely to receive a 5-Star rating from CMS.
- Had lower rehospitalization rates. At least 2 percentage points lower in each of the last five years
- Had lower off-label use of antipsychotics. An average 3 to 4 percentage points lower each quarter in 2012 through 2015.
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Accredited Continuing Education
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by University of Nebraska Medical Center and AHCA/NCAL. University of Nebraska Medical Center is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center designates this activity for 30.0 ANCC contact hours.
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