Nursing Services Requirements for the State of Vermont

7.13 Nursing Services

The facility must have sufficient nursing staff to provide nursing and related services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being of each resident, as determined by resident assessments and individual plans of care or as specified by the licensing agency.

(a) Sufficient staff. The facility must provide services by sufficient numbers of each of the following types of personnel on a 24-hour basis to provide nursing care to all residents in accordance with resident care plans:

(1) licensed nurses and

(2) other nursing personnel.

(b) The facility must designate a licensed nurse to serve as a charge nurse on each tour of duty.

(c) Registered Nurse.

(1) The facility must use the services of a registered nurse for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week.

(2) The facility must designate a registered nurse to serve as the director of nursing on a full time basis.

(3) The director of nursing may serve as a charge nurse only when the facility has an average daily occupancy of 60 or fewer residents.

(d) Staffing Levels. The facility shall maintain staffing levels adequate to met resident needs.

(1) At a minimum, nursing facilities must provide:

(i) no fewer than 3 hours of direct care per resident per day, on a weekly average, including nursing care, personal care and restorative nursing care, but not including administration or supervision of staff; and

(ii) of the three hours of direct care, no fewer than 2 hours per resident per day must be assigned to provide standard LNA care (such as personal care, assistance with ambulation, feeding, etc.) performed by LNAs or equivalent staff and not including meal preparation, physical therapy or the activities program.

(2) The facility shall provide staffing information to the licensing agency in a manner and on a schedule prescribed by the licensing agency.