| Section
C: Personnel and Training |
P-C-01
Credentialing
(Essential) |
Formerly
P-18
An intent of this standard is that the facility’s
health staff are legally qualified to provide the
services for which they have been hired. Changes to this
standard include explicit clarifications that while
state licensure is generally required, for federal
facilities, licensure in any state is acceptable.
Individual DEA licensure is required. License holders
whose practice is restricted, regardless of the reason,
to practice only in correctional settings are not in
compliance. Student participation guidelines are
defined. |
P-C-02
Clinical Performance Enhancement
(Important)
(Name change from "Physician Peer Review" to
reflect changes.) |
Formerly
P-13
This important standard intends to enhance patient care
through peer review of the clinician’s practice. It
has been expanded to require an annual clinical
performance review for all licensed primary care
providers including physicians, psychiatrists, dentists,
mid-level practitioners, and PhD-level psychologists. |
P-C-03
Continuing Education for Health Staff (Essential) |
Formerly
P-19
This essential standard intends that the facility’s
health care professionals are kept current in clinical
knowledge and skills. It now clarifies that the
"annual" 12 hours required is for each
12-month period as defined by the facility. Part-time
staff may have CEUs pro rated. In facilities housing
adolescents, their health needs are included as an
in-service topic. |
P-C-04
Training for Correctional Officers
(Essential) |
Formerly
P-20
This essential standard intends to promote the training
of correctional officers to recognize when the need to
refer to a health care professional occurs, or to
provide emergency care until a health care professional
arrives.
This standard remains basically the same. In facilities
housing adolescents, their health needs are included as
an in-service topic. |
P-C-05
Medication Administration Training
(Essential) |
Formerly
P-21
The intent of this essential standard to ensure that
there is proper administration of prescription
medications. Explicit clarification that the standard
refers to prescription medications, and that there are
differences in the requirements for training health
staff and non-health staff is provided. Two conditions
must be present in order for a correctional facility to
use non-health staff to deliver medications to inmates:
it is legal in the particular state, and staff have been
trained. It is recommended, not required, that
facilities which have health staff on duty for at least
2 shifts 7 days a week not use non-health staff for this
responsibility. |
P-C-06
Inmate Workers
(Essential) |
Formerly
P-22
An intent of this essential standard is that inmates are
not placed in a position of power over peers regarding
health services. The standard remains the same: While
inmates may not be used as health care staff, they may
participate in appropriate peer health-related programs,
support groups or hospice programs with proper training
and supervision. |
| (DELETED:
Formerly P-23 Position Descriptions ) |
(The
standard has outlived its usefulness; no longer needed.) |
P-C-07
Staffing Plan
(Important)
(Name change from "Staffing Levels" to better
reflect the standard’s focus.) |
Formerly
P-24
An intent of this important standard is that the health
care delivery system has sufficient numbers and types of
health staff to care for the inmate population.
Compliance indicator #3 makes explicit how NCCHC has
always interpreted compliance for this standard as
outcome: "The adequacy and effectiveness of the
staffing plan is assessed by the facility’s ability to
meet the health needs of the inmate population."
Clarification has been included that volunteers and
students may be supplemental, not integral to a staffing
plan and where permitted by state law, mid-level
practitioners may substitute for part of the physician’s
time. For those wishing a general numerical expectation
for physician time on-site, 5 hours a week per 100
inmates is one guideline. The guideline is not a
compliance indicator. |
P-C-08
Health Care Liaison
(Important)
(Name change from "Correctional Health
Coordinator" to better reflect the standard’s
focus.) |
New
An intent of this important standard, new to the
prisons, is that when health care staff are not on site
inmates continue to access essential health services.
This standard requires that a trained correctional staff
member coordinates health services on one shift on days
when health staff are not on site. Supervision and
training are to be provided by both the facility
administrator (or designee) and RMD (or designee) and is
to be considered a "post" position (usually on
the day shift). |
| (DELETED:
Formerly P-10 Notification in Emergencies) |
(This
former standard is essentially a function of
correctional authorities who may ask health staff to
participate.) |
P-C-09
Orientation for Health Services Staff
(Important)
(Name change from "Orientation Training for Health
Services Staff" to better reflect the standard’s
focus.) |
Formerly
P-25
This important standard intends that health staff are
properly acclimated to work in the correctional
environment. It explicitly addresses two separate
processes. All health staff, including part-time and PRN
staff, receive a Basic Orientation on the first day of
employment. Topics included are essential to being able
to function within the prison and include: security
regulations, emergency responses, relevant health
services P&P, functional job description, and
inmate-staff relationships. In addition, all full-time
health staff, within the first 90 days of employment,
complete an In-depth Orientation consisting of a review
of health services P&P not covered in the initial
orientation, age- and health-specific needs of the
population, infection control issues and other topics
pertinent to the roles and responsibilities of the
staff. |
| (DELETED:
Formerly P-26 Continuing Education for Health Services
Administrative and Support Staff) |
Although
recommended, providing and tracking CEUs for these staff
is not a primary health services task. |
