Code of Colorado Regulations
700 - Department of Regulatory Agencies
717 - Division of Professions and Occupations - State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators
3 CCR 717-1 - RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR NURSING HOME ADMINISTRATORS
Section 3 CCR 717-1.12 - ADMINISTRATOR-IN-TRAINING (AIT) PROGRAM

Universal Citation: 3 CO Code Regs 717-1 ยง 12

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 5, March 10, 2024

This Rule is promulgated pursuant to sections 12-20-204, 12-265-107(1)(a), and 12-265-109, C.R.S.

A. The AIT program is the way in which a person seeking licensure as a nursing home administrator may obtain practical training and experience in nursing home administration under the direct supervision of a licensed nursing home administrator (preceptor) who is in full-time practice at the facility.

B. Education and experience criteria for admission into the AIT program.

1. The applicant must have two years college level study in areas relating to health care or two years of experience in nursing home administration or comparable health care management for each year of required education.
a. College level study
(1) Study must be successfully completed in a college or university approved by an organization nationally recognized by the United States Department of Education for regional institutional accrediting.

(2) The types of courses which will be considered "relating to health care" for entry into the AIT program include, but are not limited to:
(a) Nursing;

(b) Social services (if related to health care);

(c) Recreational therapy (not physical education);

(d) Dietary;

(e) Psychology;

(f) Sociology;

(g) Physiology;

(h) Anatomy;

(i) Biology;

(j) Speech;

(k) Health care management; or

(l) Administration.

b. Experience
(1) Experience must be obtained in nursing home administration or comparable health care management.

(2) Experience in comparable health care management may include, but is not limited to:
(a) Direct health care, which includes nursing, therapies, clinical social services, and activities;

(b) Ancillary services, which includes business office, medical records, environmental services, human resources, and marketing; or

(c) Planning, organizing and controlling events toward a goal such as involvement in finance, budget, and policy making decisions.

c. The Board may approve substitution of two years of Board approved experience for one year of education, or may approve proportional experience for various amounts of education.

d. Applicants will not be required to possess experience in administration as defined in Rule 1.7 in order to apply for the AIT program. This experience will be gained through participation in the program.

e. The Board, on a case-by-case basis, may waive any portion of the college level study and/or experience specified in this Rule 1.12 for an applicant submitting military training, experience, or education as part of the application for admission into the AIT program.

C. Applying for the AIT program

1. An applicant for the nursing home AIT program shall meet the statutory requirements of section 12-265-109, C.R.S., and shall submit the following:
a. A complete and accurate application form;

b. If applicable, transcripts sent directly to the Board;

c. Any requested additional or supplemental documentation;

d. An application for approval of a preceptor, signed by the applicant and the proposed preceptor. It shall be the responsibility of the AIT applicant to enter into an agreement with a Colorado licensed nursing home administrator who meets the qualifications to be a preceptor and who is willing to accept and supervise the AIT applicant in accordance with Board rules; and e. A full AIT program plan for a period of 1,000 hours, with supporting documentation, not to exceed one year. The program plan must include a detailed timetable of planned learning experiences and a description of objectives. The program plan must include the methods of instruction, the hours and days of the week to accomplish the AIT program separate from other job duties, and a detailed description of the program of study addressing the following areas:
(1) Principles of administration including budgeting, accounting, records management, organization, personnel, and business management;

(2) Medical, sociological, psychological, environmental, quality assurance, and therapeutic aspects of resident care; and

(3) Federal, state, and local laws and regulations in relation to the administration of a nursing home.

2. The AIT shall work under the personal direction of the preceptor for the duration of the approved program. It is the responsibility of the preceptor and the AIT to ensure that the AIT is engaged in the AIT program in order for the hours to be considered.

3. The AIT program application must be approved in full by the Board prior to the applicant beginning the plan.

4. Before approving the applicant for the AIT program, the Board must be satisfied that the applicant does not have a substantial financial interest in the nursing home which is to be the site wherein the major portion of the training time will be served.

5. Once the applicant has successfully completed the AIT program, then a complete application for licensure by examination must be submitted. Please refer to Rule 1.7 for further information concerning that process.

6. Unless good cause is demonstrated to the Board, persons who have participated in an AIT program must successfully complete both the national and state examinations, and meet all other licensing requirements within one year after completion of the program.

D. Waivers

1. The Board may consider an applicant's request for waiver of any portion of the AIT period provided the applicant has had responsibility for performing all of the administrative or supervisory tasks in a nursing home or hospital in any of the following categories including, but not limited to:
a. Budgeting, accounting, records management, organization, personnel, and business management.

b. Medical, sociological, psychological, environmental, quality assurance, and therapeutic aspects of resident care.

2. Waiver up to, but no more than, 500 hours may be considered for an applicant who has had a minimum of one year of experience in administration, as defined in Rule 1.12 below, in a nursing home in one of the categories set forth in Rule 1.12(D)(1) above.

3. In addition to the waivers set forth in Rule 1.12 (2) above, the Board may consider a request for waiver of any portion of a state or the District of Columbia recognized AIT program upon submission by the applicant of documentation establishing that the applicant was accepted into such program and successfully completed the portion for which he or she is seeking waiver.

4. Waiver considerations
a. Experience in administration shall require:
(1) Day-to-day, on-site responsibility for supervising, directing, managing, monitoring, or exercising reasonable control over subordinates;

(2) The coordination of interdisciplinary patient care and services; and

(3) Planning, organizing, and controlling events toward a goal. Examples include involvement in finance, budget, and policy-making decisions.

b. Experience in administration shall not include housekeeping, laundry, food services, activities, medical records, bookkeeping, or clerical responsibilities.

c. Experience gained in a hospital setting shall be in one or more of the following areas:
(1) Long-term acute care hospital;

(2) Transitional care unit;

(3) "Swing bed" unit; or

(4) Behavioral health hospital.

5. If the applicant requests a waiver, he or she must submit a detailed plan outlining the requested areas of waiver as well as the areas of study to be completed. The detailed waiver plan must be submitted in addition to the full 1,000 hour program.

6. Once the Board reviews and takes action on a waiver request submitted at the time of the application, it will not consider any further waivers for that AIT.

E. Preceptors

1. A nursing home administrator is eligible to be a "preceptor" if he or she:
a. Has been licensed for no less than three years and has actively practiced nursing home administration for the preceding twenty-four months in the state of Colorado. At the Board's discretion, it may reduce or waive the twenty-four month active practice requirement on a case-by-case basis. The Board may consider complaint, survey, and disciplinary history when reviewing preceptor applications.

b. Agrees to abide by the terms of the AIT agreement set forth by the Board for any AIT under their supervision.

2. No preceptor shall have more than one AIT under supervision at any one time unless pre-approval is obtained from the Board.

3. A preceptor shall remain fair and impartial during review of the AIT's performance. No preceptor shall receive any financial remuneration from or on behalf of an AIT for services as a preceptor under the program. A preceptor shall not be related by blood or marriage to the AIT nor shall the preceptor have a personal financial interest in the licensure of the AIT. An AIT applicant in a rural or remote area may request a waiver of this requirement upon demonstration of hardship and that the preceptor can, and will, remain fair and impartial during the AIT program. Any such request for a waiver shall be in writing and shall be subject to the full discretion of the Board.

4. Each preceptor shall serve at the discretion of the Board.

5. All preceptors shall comply with the rules and regulations regarding the AIT program and may be disciplined for failure to do so.

6. All preceptors shall abide by the terms of any agreement entered into with the Board to act as a preceptor.

7. It is the responsibility of the preceptor to assist the AIT applicant in developing the detailed program plan. Such program may include classroom experience received while in the AIT program if Board approval is obtained.

F. Monitoring

1. Each AIT shall submit to the Board monthly progress reports on a form prescribed by the Board. The monthly progress reports submitted by the AIT shall be co-signed by the AIT and the preceptor and submitted with the Board no more than ten days following the end of the reporting period.

2. If an AIT fails to submit reports as prescribed above, the AIT may be deemed to have abandoned the AIT program.

3. Any falsification or misrepresentation contained in any report or document attesting to the facts, conditions, and activities of the AIT and submitted by the AIT, preceptor, or other licensees under the jurisdiction of the Board may be considered conduct which fails to meet generally accepted standards for nursing home administration practice and may subject the AIT, preceptor, or other licensees to discipline pursuant to section 12-265-113, C.R.S.

4. The Board or its designee shall have the right to monitor, call for conference any party, or visit the facility during the course of the AIT program to assure compliance with these rules.

5. The AIT and the preceptor shall be held responsible to adhere to Rule 1.15 during participation in any AIT program. Failure to do so may be grounds for denial of licensure and/or action on the license of the preceptor.

G. Interruption, discontinuance, or disqualification

1. Termination of the AIT/preceptor agreement shall be reported by the AIT in writing to the Board within seven days of such termination.

2. Discontinuance by the AIT of the program shall be reported by the AIT in writing to the Board within seven days after such discontinuance.

3. The AIT program, in whole or in part, may be disqualified if the AIT violates any Board rule. Additionally, the Board may deny the AIT's application for licensure for violation of any Board rule.

4. Acceptance into the AIT program in no way implies authority for the AIT to serve in the capacity of a nursing home administrator; such action by the AIT may disqualify the entire period of the AIT program.

5. In the event the preceptor fails to provide the AIT an opportunity for adequate professional and occupational experience, the Board may disqualify the preceptor from further service in the AIT program.

6. In the event that during the AIT program the training experience proves unsatisfactory,

the Board may terminate or rearrange all or part of the program.

(AMENDED ON JULY 29, 2009 AND EFFECTIVE AUGUST 30, 2009; AMENDED ON JANUARY 27, 2010 AND EFFECTIVE MARCH 30, 2010; AMENDED ON MARCH 26, 2010 AND EFFECTIVE JULY 15, 2010; AMENDED ON MARCH 7, 2012 AND EFFECTIVE APRIL 30, 2012; AMENDED ON JULY 11, 2012 AND EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2012; AMENDED ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2012 AND EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 30, 2012; AMENDED NOVEMBER 2, 2012 AND EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 30, 2012; AMENDED ON JULY 17, 2013 AND EFFECTIVE AUGUST 30, 2013)

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Colorado may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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