Administrator-In-Training Rules

General Information

  1. An Administrator-in-Training is a supervised internship during which the Administrator-in-Training (the AIT) works under the guidance and supervision of a preceptor, a licensed administrator meeting the qualifications set out in the requirements for preceptors. The internship is a unique phase of education consisting of the supervised practice of nursing home administration in the environment of the nursing home, with continued instruction in the skills and art of nursing home administration. In keeping with the philosophy of continued improvement in the quality of professionalism in the field of nursing home administration, the internship is considered an essential part of the education of a Nursing Home Administrator. With this concept in mind, it is evident that the internship can be conducted only in those nursing homes in which the educational benefits to the intern are considered of paramount importance, with the service benefits to the nursing home of secondary importance.
  2. The satisfactory completion of a 1,000 hour AIT program will satisfy the experience requirement set forth in rule 620-X-5-.02 (f).
  3. An applicant for the AIT program must meet those qualifications established by Code of Alabama Section 34-20-9, which are in effect at the time of application, and pay the application fee as determined by the Board.
  4. Preceptors must submit an outline of their proposed AIT program for review and approval by the Board.
  5. The Board must approve each facility at which the training will take place.
  6. The training must be under the full-time supervision of the preceptor.
  7. The AIT shall serve his/her training in a normal workweek, containing a minimum of 20 hours, with not less than eight hours to be served daily between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., except that during the year a minimum of 40 hours and a maximum of 160 hours are to be served between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
  8. The AIT program shall begin on the first day of the month following the approval of the Board.
  9. The AIT and the Preceptor shall sign an agreement acknowledging to each other and the Board that the training shall be in accordance with these rules. The agreement shall contain any other agreements between the AIT and the Preceptor concerning the training.
  10. The AIT shall be allowed two weeks leave for military training, two weeks leave for vacation, and reasonable sick leave.
  11. The Board may approve a temporary discontinuance of the training for up to one year, but the AIT shall only retain credit for those quarters completed and for which reports have been submitted and approved by a Board representative. If for any reason the approved preceptor is no longer able to supervise the AIT at the facility, the AIT may petition the Board for the appointment of an interim preceptor pending the approval of a new preceptor by the Board.
  12. The Board will approve an interruption of an AIT program for the compulsory service of the AIT in the armed forces of the United States. The AIT may resume his/her training at any time within one year of his/her discharge from active duty.
  13. The AIT and the Preceptor must report any discontinuance of training to the Board within ten (10) days.
  14. A rotation through the various departments and duties in the nursing home are essential to the proper completion of the training. An AIT shall not, during the normal working hours of his/her program, fill a specific, specialized position in the nursing home.
  15. A Board representative may visit a nursing home for the purpose of surveying the AIT program. The Board may require the AIT to do further work toward meeting objectives or attaining the core of knowledge, or to work with a different Preceptor, if reports and progress in the program are inadequate.
  16. No credit shall be given by the Board for time served by an individual in an unapproved AIT program, or for time served under the supervision of a preceptor who has not been approved by the Board, or for time spent in an approved program under an approved preceptor until such time as the applications have been properly filed with the Board.

Preceptor

  1. The Board will approve persons to act as preceptors in AIT programs based on information submitted to the Board. The approval shall be effective for a period of three years, after which the preceptor must reapply. However, the Board may disapprove a preceptor for a training program who has failed to remain in compliance with these requirements. The Board may disapprove a preceptor at any time for good cause.
  2. Each person desiring to be a preceptor must submit an application showing:
    • his/her name, address, and age;
    • that he/she has been a licensed and practicing nursing home administrator in Alabama for at least three years, and that no disciplinary action has been taken against him/her;
    • the states and dates of issuance of all his/her professional licenses, including those as a nursing home administrator; and
    • the nursing home facilities at which the applicant has been in direct management control as administrator within the last three years, and that the facilities have had a continuous operating history free from significant deficiencies.
  3. The preceptor-applicant must show that his/her education, experience, and knowledge qualify him/her to supervise the training of an AIT. The preceptor-applicant must attend a preceptor training seminar approved by the board prior to becoming a preceptor. The preceptor-applicant's certificate of attendance for the preceptor training program must not be more than one year old before applying to become a preceptor.
  4. The preceptor shall be of good moral character.
  5. A preceptor may not supervise training of a member of his/her immediate family.
  6. A preceptor must be in direct management control of the facility or facilities at which the training is to take place.
  7. A person desiring to be a preceptor must apply and qualify under the terms of this rule, notwithstanding an approval under previous rules.

Facility at Which Training Takes Place

  1. Each application for approval of a training program shall include an application for approval of each facility at which the training will take place.
  2. The application form will request general information about the facility which will include its address, the names, employment dates, work hours, and the license numbers of registered or licensed professionals which head the various departments, and the licensed bed capacity.
  3. The application must include a copy of the latest survey report and any plans for correction. The survey report must show that the facility is currently licensed by the Department of Health, Division of Licensure and Certification and a nursing facility and has no serious operating deficiencies.
  4. The facility teaching staff shall be composed of personnel whose professional and moral integrity are unquestioned, who are proficient in the field of practice to which they devote themselves, who give careful attention to their duties and who are willing to assume responsibility individually and as a group for providing ample instruction to the AIT and to assist them in their work.

Domains of Practice, Objectives, Reports

The Administrator-in-Training Program shall cover the domains of practice, as established by the National Association of Boards of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators, Inc. (NAB).

  1. The training plan for the program shall be prepared by the preceptor and the trainee prior to the start of the program. This training plan shall include:
    1. An individualized schedule showing time allotted for each department of the nursing home facility (i.e., nursing, dietary, housekeeping, business office, management and supervisory techniques, etc.).
    2. Time allotted for the AIT's participation in council meetings, state association meetings, staff meetings, etc.
  2. The preceptor and the trainee must file quarterly reports with the Board. Each report shall be co-signed by the preceptor and the trainee, and should be filed one week after the completion of each 25% segment of the program. The quarterly reports should contain a synopsis of the areas covered in the program and any relevant learning experiences. The reports should show how the trainee used the following methods to further his/her training.
    • On-the-job experience;
    • meetings attended;
    • surveys completed;
    • written reports;
    • visits to other facilities; and
    • educational seminars.
  3. Nothing in this rule is intended to preclude any preceptor from requiring any additional areas in the program, objectives or reports.
  4. At the completion of his/her AIT program, the facility shall furnish the intern with a certificate of service, attesting to the satisfactory completion of his/her training program. A copy of the certificate shall be forwarded to the Board. The nursing home facility may withhold such certificate only if the AIT fails to complete his/her AIT program or if his/her performance has been such as to indicate that he/she is unfit to practice as a nursing home administrator.
  5. It shall be the duty of the AIT to inform the Board of any violation by the facility of any provision of the program approved by the Board or any violation of the laws or rules of the Board governing nursing home administrators. Failure to so inform the Board may result in the disapproval of the AIT's application for licensure as a nursing home administrator.