When you are choosing a nursing home for yourself or for your loved one, knowing as much as you can about the nursing home staff members is very important. Staff that is more experienced, specializes in certain areas, and that has a positive history of working with patients is who you want working in the nursing home that you choose. Here are some questions to ask nursing homes about their hiring standards.
What kinds of background checks do you perform?
All nursing homes should conduct thorough background checks on their staff members. Not only do background checks include learning about a potential staff member’s criminal record, but they can also pull up information about a nurse’s credentials, employment history, record of complaints, and more.
What certifications do your nurses carry?
There are dozens of different certifications and credentials that nurses may carry, including the certifications for a family nurse practitioner, an adult nurse practitioner, gerontological nurse practitioner, adult psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist, and more. There are also specialty nurses, such as gerontological nursing, which may be very valuable within a nursing home.
How much experience is required to get the job?
The more experience that nursing home staff have, the better. While that is not to say that someone right out of college could not perform his or her job exceptionally, it is to say that there is a level of knowledge that comes with experience that should not be overlooked. A nursing home that has experienced staff members on hand may be the better choice.
What is your nursing turnover rate?
Not only do you want to find out information about hiring standards for nurses, but it can also be important to learn about a nursing home’s nursing staff turnover rate. If the turnover rate is high and new nurses are constantly coming and leaving, you may want to consider looking elsewhere. Having a consistent staff can be an important part of one-one-one quality care, nursing staff communication, nursing staff comfort and happiness (which can affect quality of patient care), and more.
Choose the Right Nursing Home
You can learn more about important questions to ask when choosing a nursing home by reading our blog. If you are concerned about the quality of care within a nursing home or suspect elder abuse or malpractice, do not hesitate to call a nursing home abuse attorney. At Cordisco & Saile LLC, we can help you to understand what nursing home malpractice is, what your rights are when nursing home abuse occurs, and the process of filing a civil action. Contact us today to learn more at 215-791-8911.
