Director of Nursing in Long Term Care Certificate Program

Total Certificate cost:  $124.00

Nursing Education
This set of continuing nursing education nursing courses consists of
eight courses approved individually by the
North Carolina Nurses Association,
an accredited approver by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission
on Accreditation for 48.75 nursing continuing education hours.
Click here to obtain a Director of Nursing Certificate

….an experienced observer of the nursing home industry once remarked, “Typically, it depends on who the administrator and the director of nursing are.  If they’re doing their jobs, and forceful enough, then you have a good, well-managed facility.  But if they’re weak individuals, or not paying attention, then care doesn’t get up to the rate one would expect."  (Carol Scott).

….truth be known, the quality of care and the quality of life in the long term care facility depend more on who the director of nursing is than on the administrator.  With a good director of nursing a facility can survive a poor administrator.  But with a poor director of nursing a facility can have the best administrator around and not achieve quality care.

Obtain the necessary skill set
The director of nursing is the key to achieving quality resident care.  Being a successful director of nursing depends on having the necessary skill sets.   The eight courses in this certification provide these necessary skills.

• The first set of three courses cover the management skills and knowledge base needed: management skills, human resources skills and financial management skills.
• The second set of four courses cover the Federal Requirements and Guidelines to Surveyors (the Federal CMS Appendices P and PP) which govern the day to day operation of resident caregiving in the long term care setting.
• The final course covers the development of the necessary facility Infection Control Program.

Career Development
If you are interested in becoming the administrator of a long term care facility, these courses are an excellent stepping stone.  A large proportion of persons who become the licensed administrator of long term care facilities are experienced directors of nursing.

Added benefits
Certificate and 48.75 contact hours
You will earn both a Director of Nursing Certificate (click for sample certificate) and 48.75 ANCC contact hours that can be applied to nursing continuing education requirements.

Upward mobility….is it going to be worth it?
Yes.  In recent years the director of nursing’s salary has often been higher than the facility administrator’s salary.  Typically directors of nursing earn between $80,000 and  $110,000+ per year.

The Director of Nursing’s attention is increasingly being drawn to the multiplying bugs in the long term care setting such as the drug resistant erythromycin resistant group a streptococcus below.

Click here to obtain a Director of Nursing Certificate!

FAQ’s

ARE THESE TOUGH COURSES?
Yes. These courses cover over 1,000 pages containing knowledge important for the DON to master.  However, there are no prerequisites or previous knowledge needed to understand and pass the courses.

WHY ARE THESE TOUGH COURSES?
Because the Director of Nursing responsibilities cover nearly every aspect of the daily operations of the long term care facility and the long term care facility is a very complex health care organization.

WHO ARE THE AUTHORS OF THESE COURSES? 
Not us!  The content of these courses has been “written” (developed and refined) over the past several decades by three entities:

• The National Association of Boards of Examiners for Long Term Care Administrators (NAB)
• The Federal Government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)
• The Federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta (CDC)

The NAB has studied the daily responsibilities of 2,000+ administrators for 20+ years and developed the first three courses’ content (domains): management, human resources and finance.
The CMS since 1970 has evolved and constantly refines the content of the next four courses: the Federal rules and regulations. 

The CDC has studied disease control for decades also and specifies the required facility infection control program: our final course.

We at ANCCceus.com are simply your midwives and hand holders helping guide you as you wade through all these materials.  YOU WILL BE STUDYING THE ORIGINAL MATERIALS OF THE CMS AND CDC….the actual rules and regulations governing and complicate the daily lives of DONs.

WHY DOES THE DON HAVE TO KNOW ALL THESE MATERIALS?
To achieve quality of care and quality of life for residents.   And because the CMS, by law, sends a team of 3 to 5 inspectors to every nursing facility that accepts Medicare and or Medicaid money (98% of all U. S. facilities do!) every 12 months to see if the DON has successfully implemented every single one of the mind boggling total number of federal requirements you will master in these courses.  And they hand out deficiencies for little nits as well as for real failures to meet federal requirements for patient care.

HOW LONG WILL THESE COURSES TAKE ME?
Depends on how much knowledge you bring to the courses, but you will need the equivalent of at least two weeks’ time (80 hours) to really learn the material.  Probably more.  There are, however, no time constraints.  You enroll and complete the course entirely on your own time schedule.  You can take the multiple choice test as many times as you need to achieve 70% correct answers.  There is no “final” exam or test.

HOW DO THE COURSES WORK?
The work is divided into 8 smaller courses each of which has a set of multiple choice questions.  When you achieve at least 70% correct answers you have completed that course. You can complete the courses in any sequence.  When you have completed all eight you receive the certificate (and 48.75 ANCC approved nursing continuing education contact hours).

COULDN’T I JUST STUDY ALL THIS ON MY OWN?
Yes.  The value added by studying with us is:

• A guided study process divided into eight courses with feedback via successfully answering multiple choice questions.
• 48.75 contact hours you can use to meet any nursing continuing education requirement
• A certificate you can frame and use to secure a DON position or just have on your wall. (click for sample)
• Someone to call and talk to when you need clarification or encouragement as you wade through all the materials.

WHO ELSE TEACHES THESE COURSES?
About 100 colleges teach these materials in their long term care programs. Several other websites offer DON certificates.  If you want thorough and full DON preparation we are a good certificate program to choose.  We have been a national education source for long term care training since 1999.