But good employees wear down quickly, say those interviewed. And many think nursing assistants need more training than just the federally mandated 75 hours. With more training, they reason, the assistants can more easily recognize problems and report them to the nurses, who often are tied up with regulatory paperwork. Good staff gets burned out. But the industry's dependence upon federal and state funding does not allow it to be an equal opportunity competitor for good workers.
Most employers can raise their prices, to pay their staff more.
The report, researched by John Schnelle, PhD, of the UCLA School of Medicine, and director of the Bourne Center for Gerontological Research, determined that adequate care is seriously impaired below this minimum. A final report is expected sometime in 2001. Most of us have watches. It's that simple. Still others are offering time and a half for the weekends.