CNA In-Service Training Series

Course Description

CNAs and Direct Care Workers who work in long-term care facilities are required to complete at least 12 hours of in-service training per year.  Make it easy on your DON’s and nurse leaders by giving them a high-quality CNA training program they can use to educate your facilities direct care workers.

IHCA is pleased to introduce its new CNA In-Service Training Series which will provide 12 – one-hour on-demand education sessions specifically for your direct care staff.

Each module can be accessed for your facilities monthly in-service class for multiple people, or an individual can watch a module on their own.  Once purchased, your facility can access any of the modules as many times needed through December 31, 2024.

Each module comes with an accompanying handout, and a certificate of completion that the participants supervisor will complete for the employee’s in-service training records.  No CEUs are available with this training program.

Topics and Descriptions

Mental Illness and Crisis Interventions for Older Adults – Speaker: Marianne Smith
This behavioral health in-service session covers types of mental health crises, the crisis intervention process, and ethical issues. Participants will learn assessment and de-escalation techniques for patients experiencing a crisis or mental health emergency associated with depression, anxiety, substance use, and mental health disorders.

Effective Communication with Residents and Tenants – Speaker: Cat Selman
To provide quality healthcare, there must be effective communication, respect, and sensitivity between the residents and those who provide their care. This in-service session will identify effective and ineffective communication strategies when speaking with older adults and will describe the best practices for person-centered communication.  There will also be a focus on approaches for communication with persons with Dementia.

Residents’ Rights, Choices & Preferences – Speaker: Cat Selman
Respect for residents’ rights is an important part of quality care.  To ensure that residents’ rights are respected, federal law requires all long-term care facilities to have written policies explaining the rights of their residents.  This in-service session will provide an overview of a care givers daily practices to support these rights, as well as how to further enhance care practices to achieve the protection of a resident’s individual rights, as identified in the statutes.

Infection Control for Caregivers – Speaker: Lisa Roederer
This in-service session will teach the standard precautions that every healthcare staff member should use when assisting residents. It will also cover the steps to proper hand washing, the proper use of hand sanitizer, and how to handle objects such as linens, trash, and dangerous waste. This lesson will also explain the four means of disease transmission: airborne, bloodborne, contact, and droplet.

Survey 101 – Speaker: Lisa Roederer
This in-service session will give participants a first-hand review of Iowa’s nursing facility survey process. Discussion will focus on the role of CNAs and Direct Care Workers during a survey and the expectations of what surveyors may request from facility staff during a survey.

Observations - Changes of Condition and When to Report – Speaker: Lisa Roederer
Observing a residents health condition and reporting changes enables a person's health and wellbeing needs are being met. This in-service session aims to help participants improve the way they notice, report, and keep track of changes in a resident's condition.

Trauma-Informed Care – Achieving Compliance and Quality – Speaker: Barbara Speedling
This in-service session will emphasize the importance of understanding the prevalence of trauma and the effects that trauma can have on an individual’s mental health, physical, social, and spiritual well-being. Practical strategies to assist in working with residents who have experienced trauma and caregiving approaches to meet the needs of older adults impacted by stress-related disorders.

Addressing Depression in Seniors – Speaker: Barbara Speedling
Depression is the most common mental health disorder in seniors and is particularly common among those living in long-term care facilities. This in-service session will review signs and symptoms of  depression, which is the first step in resolving problems.  Strategies for caregivers to assess reasons for a resident’s depression will be discussed, as well as interventions to enhance comfort, function, and overall care.

Addressing Transfer Trauma in Dementia Care – Speaker: Barbara Speedling
Easing the transition from home to a long-term care community remains a challenge for many organizations. A diagnosis of dementia heightens the individual’s emotions and increases the risks of adverse events, such as falls, altercations and elopements. This in-service session offers insight into understanding and addressing transfer trauma for people impacted by dementia.  Strategies for an improved, person-centered admission, welcome, and assessment process are a focus of this conversation.

HIPAA - Do’s, Don’t and Data Security – Speaker: Jo Ellen Whitney
This in-service session is designed to provide healthcare staff with information on how to comply with HIPAA law. This session will go into detail regarding staff ’s use of technology to transfer resident/tenant data and how it relates to the HIPAA Security Rule, in particular with portable devices.  Areas covered will be texting, email, medical messaging, voice data and risk factors as they relate to IT.

Emergency Preparedness in Long-Term Care – Speaker: AJ Mumm
Understanding what to do and how to respond in an emergency is important for all facility staff.  This in-service session will provide basic response and actions that should be taken in the case of a fire, severe thunderstorm, tornado warning, flood, power outage and more.

Dining with Dignity – Speaker: Cara Ellis Skrypchuk
Challenges in eating for seniors often begin with vision loss, dental problems, cognition loss, or digestion-specific issues. These struggles can result in frustration and stress for everyone. For seniors, feeling that they have lost some of their dignity can make mealtime difficult and emotional. This in-service session will provide caregivers with ways to maintain dignity for residents who have challenges with eating.

Registration Fees

Members:       $350 per facility
Non-Members:   $700 per facility

Speaker Bios

Cara Ellis Skypchuk, CDP, RD, CPIT, ACC  is the Senior Director of Memory Support services at Erickson Living and provides vision and leadership to the Memory Support teams.  Cara has provided and supported memory care services in the areas of adult day health, acute care, long term care, and assisted living care for over 25 years.  Her current responsibilities include the development and consistent implementation of memory support and person-centered educational programs for staff serving senior living communities.

A.J. Mumm, Director, Polk County Emergency Management Agency , In September 2004, the Polk County Emergency Management Commission appointed A.J. Mumm to lead the countywide agency responsible for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from natural and man-made disasters. AJ is a graduate of Drake University (BA – Biology and Geography) and Iowa State University (Master of Community and Regional Planning).

Lisa Roederer RN, RAC-CT, QCP, ICP is a Nurse consultant and owner of Virtuous LTC Consulting Services.  Lisa has 36 years of Acute Care and Long-Term Care experience. She has worked as a C.NA, Restorative Aide, LPN, RN, MDS Nurse, DON and has worked the past 13 years as a Corporate Nurse and as an independent Nurse Consultant.  Lisa has extensive knowledge in a variety of areas, such as, Quality Assurance/QAPI, MDS 3.0, Clinical Quality Care processes, Infection Control and Survey Preparedness.

Catherine “Cat” Selman, BS, serves as President and Co-owner of The Healthcare Communicators, Inc., a company specializing in continuing education for healthcare professionals.  Cat received her degree from Trevecca Nazarene University, with continued graduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi. Cat has over 30 years of experience in management, education and consultation and has trained long-term care providers and surveyors in all 50 states.

Marianne Smith, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Associate Professor, Director of the Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, and Project Directors of the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program funding that supports the Iowa Geriatric Education Center.  Dr. Smith’s work focuses on developing evidence-based practices that support optimal and adaptive aging, and methods to use these practices in daily care.  As the Director of the Csomay Center, she is working to develop community-based research and training partnerships to advance early and easy engagement with older adult research and adoption of best practices and training.

Barbara Speedling is the Quality-of-Life Specialist for Innovations for Quality Living. Barbara provides staff education and program development designed to satisfy a broad range of special needs.  Guidance is offered to community, residential and long-term care service providers in the development of programs and services to improve the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, mental illness, brain injury and complex psychosocial needs.  Barbara began her career in long-term care in recreation therapy, later specializing in the development of environments and programs for people with dementia and mental illness.

Jo Ellen Whitney is a shareholder and lawyer with the Dentons Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, IA. She works extensively in the field of employment law and health care law, including privacy and confidentiality issues, such as HIPAA for long-term care, clinics, and small practices. She has worked on medical staffing, credentialing and privileging matters, as well as consent and risk analysis. Jo Ellen also speaks frequently on HIPAA, medical records privacy, physician issues, and consent matters relating to the provision of medical care.