Administrator-In-Training Program (Internship) Guidelines

The Administrator-In-Training Program (Internship) is designed to provide applicants with the experience necessary to satisfy Qualification 4.

Participation in an internship requires the advance written approval of the Board. Internships started prior to receipt of the Board's written approval will not be accepted to satisfy Qualification 4.

To be approved, the internship must be structured in accordance with these guidelines. Training sites, preceptors and interns must meet specific criteria to be approved. The Board may take into consideration any and all information it deems appropriate when determining the acceptability of an internship, including the preceptor or training site, and reserves the right to confer with any individual involved in the internship.

Note: Given the variables in training site and preceptor criteria, there is no "approved" listing of training sites or preceptors available to applicants. Applicants are responsible for contacting prospective facilities and preceptors to secure an internship. To begin this process, a listing of skilled nursing facilities in New York State may be found on the Nursing Home Profiles. This information is provided as a resource to applicants, but in no way guarantees the availability or acceptability of any internship.

Training Site Criteria

The training site must be a skilled nursing facility which holds an Operating Certificate issued by the New York State Department of Health pursuant to Article 28 of the New York State Public Health Law. The training site must be under the full-time supervision of a New York State licensed and registered nursing home administrator.

The training site must have a least 80 beds that are certified to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Programs and must have been operating at that capacity for at least one year.

The training site must have an overall rating of at least 3 stars OR an overall rating of at least 2 stars with a quality measures rating of at least 4 stars through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Five-Star Quality Rating System. No formal enforcement action may be pending or in progress against the facility. Facilities that are in Receivership are ineligible to serve as training sites.

The training site may accommodate a maximum of two interns at one time.

Preceptor Criteria

The internship must be directly supervised by a preceptor who is the Administrator-of-Record of the facility.

The preceptor must have held a New York State nursing home administrator license for at least two years and be currently registered.

The preceptor must have had at least three years of full-time service as the Administrator-of-Record of a skilled nursing facility during the last five years, including at least one year in a New York State nursing home eligible for approval as a training site OR hold a current Nursing Home Administrator certification from the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA).

The preceptor must not have had his/her nursing home administrator license annulled, revoked, suspended, surrendered or forfeited or otherwise been disciplined by the Board, or have any formal disciplinary action pending or in progress against him/her.

The preceptor may not be related to the intern.

Approval of the internship will be withdrawn if the preceptor relinquishes his/her Administrator-of-Record responsibilities at the facility.

The Board acknowledges those licensed nursing home administrators who contribute to the Nursing Home Administrator Licensure Program by serving as preceptors. There is no limit on the number of clock hours that licensees who serve as preceptors can claim toward satisfying the continuing education requirement for renewal. Preceptors will earn one clock hour for each full-time equivalent week served as a preceptor.

Intern Criteria

Prior to participating in an internship, the intern must have an active application on file with the Board and satisfied Qualifications 1 and 2, as well as the Nursing Home Administration, Health Care Financial Management and Legal Issues in Health Care course work required as part of Qualification 3.

The intern may not be involved in any activity at the training site which is not included in the pre-determined blocks of time outlined in the Internship Plan (Nursing Home Administrator Licensure Application Addendum A).

The intern may not have a financial interest in the training site and may not be a relative of an individual who has a financial interest in the training site.

The intern may not accept an appointment as Acting Administrator of any residential health care facility pursuant to 10 NYCRR 415.6(a)(3) during the internship. The acceptance of such an appointment will result in disqualification of the internship.

Program Design

The internship should be designed by both the preceptor and intern based on the intern's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. Depending on this, the internship may be either six months (26 weeks/910 hours) or 12 months (52 weeks/1820 hours). The internship must be based on the five Domains of Practice for nursing home administrators (Customer Care, Supports and Services; Human Resources; Finance; Environment; Management and Leadership) and include learning activities in each of the below areas as independent modules.

The amount of time devoted to each module will vary based on the intern's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. Training should generally take place Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., but may also take place on nights and weekends so the intern has the broadest possible learning experience. A description of the learning activities for each module (including goals and objectives), along with a current organizational chart for the training site identifying the incumbents in all positions at the department head level and above, must be submitted.

Model standards for each module and required skills and knowledge within each Domain of Practice to guide the development of a Module Curriculum can be viewed by clicking on the module or Domain above. This information was adapted from the National Administrator-in-Training Program Manual developed by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrators Boards and American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA). This Manual is a valuable resource for developing internship programs.

The internship may be paid or unpaid. Any financial arrangement entered into by the preceptor and intern are the sole responsibility of those individuals and not the responsibility of the Board.

Internship Approval

To obtain Board approval of the internship, Nursing Home Administrator Licensure Application Addendum A must be completed and submitted by the preceptor at least eight weeks prior to the desired start date of the internship. Upon receipt, Addendum A will be reviewed. The preceptor will be contacted if any revisions are required. Upon approval, Addendum A will be mailed to the preceptor marked "Approved" and a start date will be identified. A reporting format (Module Training Summary) will be provided at that time. Addendum A (with original signatures) must be maintained by the preceptor throughout the duration of the internship, as it will serve to document the milestones and completion of the internship.

Supervision and Record Keeping

Upon completion of each module, the respective trainer must complete a Module Training Summary and provide it to the preceptor. The preceptor should meet with the intern to assure that the goals and objectives have been satisfactorily met and the intern is ready to begin the next module. If the goals and objectives have not been met, the preceptor should postpone movement into the next module and work with the intern (and trainer) to resolve any weaknesses sufficient to proceed. The preceptor should obtain the signature of the trainer on Addendum A once the goals and objectives for the module have been met.

The preceptor must maintain all Module Training Summaries throughout the duration of the internship. These reports will be requested by the Board on a random basis and must be made available immediately upon request. The Module Training Summaries should be in the following format: Sample Letter (DOCX)

Internship Completion

Upon completion of the internship, the preceptor should obtain the signature of the intern on Addendum A. The preceptor should then sign the certification and submit to the Board the fully completed Addendum A (with original signatures), along with all Module Training Summaries completed throughout the duration of the internship.

Revision, Suspension, Termination or Disqualification

Any revisions to the approved Internship Plan must be submitted to the Board in writing and may not be implemented until approved.

Should approval of the preceptor or the training site be withdrawn, the internship will be suspended and will remain suspended until an approved preceptor and training site are again available.

If there is cause to temporarily suspend the internship for more than two weeks, written notification must be submitted to the Board and approval of the resulting modification must be obtained.

The internship may be terminated at any time by mutual consent of the preceptor and intern. Upon such termination, the intern will be credited with all modules fully and satisfactorily completed. The preceptor will receive the continuing professional education earned to date. Notice of the termination must be submitted to the Board, along with a final report within 10 working days of the termination date.

The internship may be unilaterally terminated by either the preceptor or the intern only with the written approval of the Board. If approved, the intern will be credited with all modules fully and satisfactorily completed. The preceptor will receive the continuing professional education earned to date.

If the internship is unilaterally terminated by the preceptor in the absence of Board approval, the preceptor will forfeit any continuing professional education earned. The preceptor's continued eligibility to participate in the Administrator-In-Training Program will be reviewed by the Board. The intern will retain credit for all training fully and satisfactorily completed.

If the internship is unilaterally terminated by the intern, the internship will be disqualified. The preceptor will retain all the continuing education credit earned to date.

Any internship conducted out of compliance with these requirements or with the approved internship plan will be subject to termination and disqualification by the Board.

The Board reserves the right to apply other requirements/restrictions on a case-by-case basis.