(a) The Commissioner of Public Health shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, concerning the regulation of nurse's aides. Such regulations shall require a training program for nurse's aides of not less than one hundred hours. Not less than seventy-five of such hours shall include, but not be limited to, basic nursing skills, personal care skills, care of cognitively impaired residents, recognition of mental health and social service needs, basic restorative services and residents' rights. Not less than twenty-five of such hours shall include, but not be limited to, specialized training in understanding and responding to challenging behaviors related to physical, psychiatric, psychosocial and cognitive disorders.

(b) Notwithstanding any change in training requirements the commissioner may establish, a person enrolled in a program prior to October 1, 2000, may complete such program in accordance with the requirements as they existed at the time of enrollment.

(P.A. 93-121, S. 6, 8; 93-381, S. 9, 39; 93-435, S. 59, 95; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 00-59.)

History: P.A. 93-121 effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 93-381 and P.A. 93-435 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of public health and addiction services for commissioner and department of health services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 00-59 designated existing language as Subsec. (a), adding provisions therein re training requirements, and added Subsec. (b) re completion of training program in accordance with existing requirements.