Section 71-6039 - Nurse aide; qualifications; training requirements; department; duties; licensure as nurse; effect(1) No person shall act as a nurse aide in a facility or a distinct part of a facility that provides care as defined in section 71-405, 71-406, 71-409, 71-412, 71-416, 71-417, 71-418, 71-419, 71-420, 71-421, 71-422, 71-424, 71-426, 71-427, or 71-429 unless such person: (a) Is at least sixteen years of age and has not been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude;(b) Is able to speak and understand the English language or a language understood by a substantial portion of the facility residents; and(c) Has successfully completed a basic course of training approved by the department for nurse aides within one hundred twenty days of initial employment in the capacity of a nurse aide.(2)(a) A registered nurse or licensed practical nurse whose license has been revoked, suspended, or voluntarily surrendered in lieu of discipline may not act as a nurse aide in a facility described in subsection (1) of this section.(b) If a person registered as a nurse aide becomes licensed as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, his or her registration as a nurse aide becomes null and void as of the date of licensure.(c) A person listed on the Nurse Aide Registry with respect to whom a finding of conviction has been placed on the registry may petition the department to have such finding removed at any time after one year has elapsed since the date such finding was placed on the registry.(3) The department may prescribe a curriculum for training nurse aides and may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for such courses of training. The content of the courses of training and competency evaluation programs shall be consistent with federal requirements unless exempted. The department may approve courses of training if such courses of training meet the requirements of this section. Such courses of training shall include instruction on the responsibility of each nurse aide to report suspected abuse or neglect pursuant to sections 28-372 and 28-711. Nursing homes may carry out approved courses of training within the nursing home, except that nursing homes may not conduct the competency evaluation part of the program. The prescribed training shall be administered by a licensed registered nurse.(4) For nurse aides at intermediate care facilities for persons with developmental disabilities, such courses of training shall be no less than twenty hours in duration and shall include at least fifteen hours of basic personal care training and five hours of basic therapeutic and emergency procedure training, and for nurse aides at all nursing homes other than intermediate care facilities for persons with developmental disabilities, such courses shall be no less than seventy-five hours in duration.(5) This section shall not prohibit any facility from exceeding the minimum hourly or training requirements.Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 71-6039
Laws 1983, LB 273, § 2; Laws 1984, LB 416, § 11; Laws 1986, LB 921, § 11; Laws 1988, LB 463, § 49; Laws 1990, LB 1080, § 7; Laws 1994, LB 1210, § 149; Laws 2004, LB 1005, § 111; Laws 2007, LB185, § 43; Laws 2007, LB463, § 1236; Laws 2013, LB 23, § 38; Laws 2017, LB 417, § 14.Amended by Laws 2017, LB 417,§ 14, eff. 8/24/2017.