Teaching and maintaining behavior management skills with nursing assistants in a nursing home

This article describes a nursing staff training program in basic behavior management skills and a formal staff management system to encourage the application of these basic skills on the nursing unit. Behavioral skills training consists of a 5-hour in-service followed by three weeks of on-the-job training to ensure accurate application of behavior management skills. Following training, a staff management system is used to facilitate long-term use of the skills. Components of the staff management system include supervisory monitoring of the nursing assistants (NAs) by licensed practical nurses (LPNs), NA self-monitoring, verbal and written performance feedback, and incentives. Key Words: Behavior management, Staff training, Staff motivation, Quality of care