Preparing for Section G Retirement: Care Plan Updates

CMS has announced the retirement of section G, activities of daily living with the MDS item set version 1.18.11, which goes into effect Oct. 1, 2023. To prepare for this change, nurse assessment coordinators can begin to update care plans. Rather than utilizing section G-specific terminology, care plans should be …

How to Address Substance Use Disorder in Residents with Rob Leffler

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, and Rob Leffler, RPh, FASCP, the vice president of clinical services for Synchrony Pharmacy, talk about substance use disorder; what it is, and how it affects older adults.

Stay Alert for Hypoglycemia – Nursing Assistant In-service Education

Participants will learn what diabetes is, how to recognize the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, and what certified nurse aides (CNAs) should do when they see a resident might be experiencing hypoglycemia. Download now. For permission to use or reproduce this tool in full or in part, please complete a permissions …

SAMPLE Task List for the Nurse Assessment Coordinator (NAC)

The new nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) may be overwhelmed with the numerous tasks required of the position. To ease some of this burden, AAPACN developed the Sample Task List for the Nurse Assessment Coordinator tool to assist the new NAC in organizing key daily and weekly tasks to manage the …

Q&A: We have a resident that is in our facility for skilled services under Medicare Part A. The family took the resident out for a funeral, and she did not return within 24 hours. Is this a Medicare Part A discharge?

Question: We have a resident that is in our facility for skilled services under Medicare Part A. The family took the resident out for a funeral, and she did not return within 24 hours. Is this a Medicare Part A discharge? Answer from Jeff Taylor: This would not be a …

CDC 2022 Opioid Prescribing Clinical Practice Guideline (11/22)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is releasing updated and expanded recommendations for clinicians providing pain care for adult outpatients with short- and long-term pain. These clinical recommendations, published in the CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain, will help clinicians work with their patients to ensure …

Five Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining MDS Coordinators

Written by Michael Daniels, RN, DNS-CT, QCP, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA All one needs to do is peruse the long-term care (LTC)/skilled nursing facility (SNF) job openings online for a few minutes to realize that something is amiss. Frenzied healthcare staffing recruiters seem to crawl from the woodwork as they compete to …

Dining Safety – Nursing Assistant In-service Education

Participants will learn to understand why dining is an important activity, know at least three factors that make residents high risk for aspiration, describe first aid measures for choking and burns, and discuss at least five ways to promote dining safety. Download now. For permission to use or reproduce this …

Ethical Decision-Making – Nursing In-service Education

Participants will learn to identify factors that give rise to ethical dilemmas in nursing, identify measures that assist in making ethical decisions, and apply the core principles in ethical decision making. Download now. For permission to use or reproduce this tool in full or in part, please complete a permissions form. 

Laboratory Test Tool

AAPACN’s Laboratory Test Tool provides useful knowledge to nurses regarding the most widely ordered laboratory tests. Areas of knowledge include components of each test, reasons the physician may order the laboratory test, if the resident needs to be fasting for the test, and items that should be reported to the …