Staff Issues/Legalities in a Nursing Home - Essay Example

Regardless, ethics continue to play a pivotal role in effective provision of the services. The staffing standards for nursing homes are enshrined in both federal and individual state law for efficiency in application. The Federal 1987 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA 19S87) is the primary federal legislation providing the minimum requirements for staffing and practice in accredited nursing facilities (Bowblis, & Hyer, 2013). The Act mandates the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) to supervise the standards of nursing care within the states.

Both national and MA laws regulate the minimum staff to resident ratios, with the extra caveat of ensuring adequate number of nursing staffs and support service providers to satisfy the resident needs. Section 483.30 of OBRA 1987 states that qualified nursing staffs must be knowledgeable and experienced in different fields including rehabilitative care, medical social care, pharmaceutical, nutrition, physical exercises, dental, and medical interventions and services needed by the residents including patients of mental disorders (Huston, 2013).

In addition, the law requires accredited nursing assistants to be employed alongside Registered Nurses (RNs) to provide the support, especially after an RN has completed the minimum 8 hours a day for a week shift (Bowblis, & Hyer, 2013). In enforcing quality in all aspects staffing, the law obligates all care providers in nursing homes to adhere to regulations enacted by different regulators such as American Medical Association (AMA), American Medical Directors Association (AMDA), American Nurses Association (ANA), National Association of Activity Professionals (NAAP), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Agency of Health Care Policy and Research Rules on clinical practice.

By observing the law and the regulations in a nursing home, the