OSBELTCA News
 

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR CALENDAR?  If you haven't yet visited this (linked at the top of every page), it's becoming fairly robust AND we are using it to assist people to "register" (and pay online) for certain events such as Preceptor Training, State Standards Exams and NAB Review Seminars.  AND CHECK THIS OUT...We've added the ability to pay most of your fees with us ON LINE!!  Follow the "Forms and Fees" link on the left to connect to this new service!  We're pretty excited to have added this ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM... Please do NOT use this to RENEW your license...please use the Renewal Portal for this.

 

AITs - if you haven't found them yet...FLASH CARDS to help you study are available through the "Preceptor and AIT Help" link on the left...  The first-time pass rate (NAB NHA exam) of our students IS improving...things like the flash cards and help from Preceptors is probably helping quite a bit...

 

BIG WELCOME ABOARD to GINGER DEAN who joined us as of July 7th and is assuming the role of building our capabilities concerning our new role with Assisted Living, Residential Care and Adult Day Care Administrators which were added to this Board's purview effective November 1st, 2011.  Ginger has already been working the rules aspects of this addition very hard along with several other aspects...and we just want to welcome her aboard.  

ATTENTION NEWLY LICENSED ADMINISTRATORS... We've not seen a deal like this in awhile...COMPLIMENTARY "Bridge" memberships in the ACHCA  (that's FREE... $145 value) for newly licensed administrators...  If you're qualified for a "Bridge Membership," you don't want to miss this...  CLICK HERE to read the letter from ACHCA.  This is really an AMAZING deal...hope a whole bunch of you jump at this opportunity and then tell everyone else about the ACHCA... your professional association.  Not sure how long that offer holds so DON'T MISS IT if you're a new administrator and qualify!  

 

 

 

    (1) Federal Register Update 

          This is especially important to those who might be involved with a facility closure as there are some changes/updates to the rules (effective March 23, 2011) that will be important to the administrator...penalties for the administrator can be up to $100,000.  Read a copy of these rules/changes through this link.

(2) Administrator Code of Ethics

Note - there is now a "printable copy" of the "Administrator Code of Ethics" on our home page.  Please post a copy in your facility.

(3) Contact Change

      Remember that you must notify the Board within fifteen (15) days following the relocation of either business or personal mailing address. 

      Failure to meet the fifteen (15) day requirement may result in a fee of $75.00.

(4)Administrators Seeking Employment

      The Board maintains resumes of "Administrators Seeking Employment" as a service to career development and employment seeking efforts.

      You may submit a one page resume to this office if you wish to use this service.

 (5) Our office has moved (some time ago but we still get mail at the old address...):

        2401 N. W. 23rd Street, Suite 62
        Oklahoma City, OK  73107
        (405) 522-1616, Fax (405) 522-1625

        Email:  pam.duren@osbeltca.ok.gov or ginger.dean@osbeltca.ok.gov

        We also have an option for making inquiries through our website...  your question will be directed to the right person to answer it depending on the category of your question.

 

    (6)  New Exam Preparation Tool for Licensure Candidates Now Available - Candidates can test their knowledge base before taking the Exam!

             National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) is pleased to provide candidates with the opportunity to take an online NHA practice exam at any time and place.  NAB practice exams provide candidates with the tools to assess their strengths and weaknesses regarding their nursing home administrator knowledge base.  The multiple-choice questions are similar in form and content to the types of questions on the actual NHA licensure examinations.

                     °  One Form of the Exam - $75                     
                    °  Two Forms of the Exam - $125 (when you pay for them at the same time)

            Candidates may log online at www.nabweb.org to learn more about the NHA exams, and to register for an upcoming practice exam...feedback from those who've taken the practice exam has been pretty positive and the results have been as well...your results may vary based on a number of variables...no promises but it appears to be a good tool.

 

AND NOW, A FEW (more) WORDS ABOUT...

CEUs…(for our licensees)

Near and dear to everyone’s heart, they are MUCH more than the perceived pain in the neck they are to a lot of people…  These are your ticket to continually improving in your profession as a Long Term Care Administrator.

A few things to keep in mind…

You are required to do 24 CEUs each calendar year.  New licensees will be prorated.
You are required to maintain records of your own CEUs.
OSBELTCA randomly audits your accomplishment and we will be asking for copies of your certificates during such an audit.
    - The audit is relatively painless if you have copies of your certificates...you can mail us copies or fax them to us.
When you renew your license, you certify that you accomplished the required CEUs (or that you will by the end of the calendar year).

Last year (2010), 12.5% (that’s about 1 in 8) of those audited for what they did in 2009 fell short of the requirement…that’s a fairly alarming rate of failure.  Is it worth it?

Please also pay attention to the rules changes that may affect this, particularly to the newly added administrator types.  

The “going rate” for failure to accomplish CEUs (which is clearly a punishable offense for this Board to deal with…see OAC 490:10-5-3(a)(13))  for first time offenders has been:
$50.00 fine PER CEU short
An assessment of an additional 2 CEUs per each CEU short
It ends up being reported/recorded in our Registry AND in the national (HIPDB) database…

Second offenses would be dealt with more harshly.  This “going rate” is what the Board has determined to be a “fair” rate for this offense…  The fact that it’s a reportable offense alone should be a deterrent, but consider that only 6 short would cost you $300 and 12 CEUs more to be accomplished…  to most people, it’s just not worth not doing it right.  It would be a rare day that we would see a valid excuse for not getting your CEUs…in which case this “going rate” might be negotiated.  But even so, if you know you cannot get them due to some emergency, give the office a call (early) and we'll walk you through what you need to do to be legal.

And CEUs are designed to HELP YOU IMPROVE.  As a professional, the minimum should never be a question…  Too many people probably just go to the locally offered (free and/or inexpensive) CEUs rather than going to other places and getting courses in something that will HELP YOU IMPROVE…  A “professional” (as we all are) would work on his/her self-perceived weak areas…such as a professional baseball player might spend hours each day in the batting cage hitting curve ball after curve ball, to get better at something he may have trouble doing.  We are also professionals and need to fill those gaps in our abilities and work to be better…

So, get your CEUs… but PICK your CEUs because it’s something YOU need or want to learn more about (online or through another organization such as ACHCA – they go to Las Vegas and other nice places, like BERMUDA…and it IS our professional association like the Bar Association is to a lawyer...become the professional your residents deserve you to be).