DHS 129.03(9)
(9) “Competency evaluation program" means a testing program for nurse aides that is approved under this chapter and consists of all of the following components:
DHS 129.03(10)
(10) “Complicated feeding problems" means difficulty in swallowing, recurrent lung aspiration, or tube or parenteral or IV feedings.
DHS 129.03(11)
(11) “Department" means the Wisconsin department of health services.
DHS 129.03(12)
(12) “Developmental tasks" means those functions normally associated with the aging process, including acceptance of and adjustment to psychosocial and physiological processes, transition throughout adulthood, retirement development, and life review.
DHS 129.03(13)
(13) “Direct supervision" means that an RN or LPN is immediately available on the same unit, floor or wing as the nurse aide while the nurse aide is performing client-related services.
DHS 129.03(14)
(14) “Employment" means working for another for compensation on a full-time, part-time, temporary, per diem, contractual or other basis.
DHS 129.03(15)
(15) “Facility for the developmentally disabled" means a place or a distinct part of a place where five or more unrelated persons reside and who, because of their developmental disabilities, require access to 24-hour nursing care or treatment for developmental disabilities as defined under rules promulgated by the department for facilities for the developmentally disabled. “Facility for the developmentally disabled" does not include any of the following:
DHS 129.03(15)(a)
(a) A convent or facility owned or operated exclusively by and for members of a religious order that provides reception and care or treatment of an individual.
DHS 129.03(16)
(16) “Feeding assistant" means a person at least 16 years old who has completed a state-approved feeding assistant training program and who is paid by a nursing home, or a person who is used under an arrangement with another agency or organization to assist clients who have no feeding complications with the activities of eating and drinking. “Feeding assistant" does not mean an individual who is a licensed health professional or registered dietician; volunteers without money compensation; or a nurse aide.
DHS 129.03(17)
(17) “General supervision" means at least intermittent face-to-face contact between supervisor and nurse aide, but does not require the continuous presence of the supervisor in the same area during client-related services.
DHS 129.03(18)
(18) “Disability” means a physical or mental impairment that makes ability to care for oneself unusually difficult or limits one's capacity to work.
DHS 129.03(19)
(19) “Health care provider" means any of the following:
DHS 129.03(19)(c)
(c) An intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
DHS 129.03(22)
(22) “Hospice medication aide" means a nurse aide who is able to administer medications in a hospice after passing a department-approved medication course.
DHS 129.03(24)
(24) “Licensed health care professional" means a physician, physician's assistant, nurse practitioner, physical, speech or occupational therapist, an occupational therapy assistant, a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse or any other health or health service professional subject to the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin department of safety and professional services.
DHS 129.03(26)
(26) “Mechanical support" means any article, device or garment that is used only to achieve the proper position or balance of the client.
DHS 129.03(30)(a)(a) “Nurse aide" means a person, regardless of the person's title, who provides routine client-related services under the supervision of a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse. “Nurse aide" includes any of the following:
DHS 129.03(30)(a)2.
2. Any person providing nursing or nursing-related services to clients, regardless of the title under which the person is employed, except individuals in sub.
(31).
DHS 129.03(30)(a)4.
4. Any person employed to provide nursing or nursing-related services, or employed within the last 24 months as a nurse aide by a health care provider.
DHS 129.03(30)(c)
(c) “Nurse aide" does not mean a person whose duties primarily involve skills that are different from those taught in training and competency evaluation programs approved under ss.
DHS 129.07 and
129.08. A volunteer is not a “nurse aide".
DHS 129.03(30m)
(30m) “Nurse aide training program” means an instructional program for a nurse aide that is approved by the department as mandated by s.
DHS 146.40 (3) or
(3g), Stats.
DHS 129.03(33)
(33) “Nursing home medication aide" means a nurse aide who is able to administer medications in a nursing home or a facility for the developmentally disabled after passing a department-approved medication course.
DHS 129.03(34)
(34) “Onsite review" means an evaluation of a training program conducted at the physical location of the training program to verify the program is in compliance with the terms of the approval issued.
DHS 129.03(35)
(35) “Plan of correction" means the training program's plan to correct all areas identified as deficient during an onsite review.
DHS 129.03(36)
(36) “Preliminary approval" means the initial 3 month approval issued by the department following the completed review and verification of all aspects of the application.
DHS 129.03(37)
(37) “Primary instructor" means a registered nurse licensed to practice in Wisconsin who has a minimum of 2 years of nursing experience working as a registered nurse, at least one year of which must be in the provision of long-term care facility services, and who has completed a course in adult education or supervising nurse aides.
DHS 129.03(38)
(38) “PRN medications" means medications administered as necessary based on the resident's or patient's condition.
DHS 129.03(39)
(39) “Program" means the facility, agency or other entity or individual who operates an approved training program.
DHS 129.03(40)
(40) “Program trainer" means an individual from a health related field who provides specialized training about that field to nurse aides under the general supervision of the primary instructor.
DHS 129.03(42)
(42) “Qualified medication consultant" means one of the following:
DHS 129.03(42)(c)
(c) A masters-prepared registered nurse, teaching medication administration to RN or LPN students.
DHS 129.03(43)
(43) “Registered nurse (RN)" means an individual who is licensed as a registered nurse under s.
441.06, Stats., or who has a temporary permit under s.
441.08, Stats., to practice as a registered nurse.
DHS 129.03(44)
(44) “Registry" means the department's record of all persons who are eligible to be employed by a health care provider, and who have either:
DHS 129.03(44)(a)
(a) Successfully completed a training and competency evaluation program.
DHS 129.03(45)
(45) “Restorative services" means the therapeutic practice, education and training to restore, promote, and maintain the client's fullest possible level of functioning.
DHS 129.03(46)
(46) “Restraint" means any garment, device, or medication used primarily to modify client behavior by interfering with the free movement of the client or normal functioning of a portion of the body, and which the client is unable to remove easily, or confinement in a locked room, but does not include mechanical support.
DHS 129.03(47)
(47) “Revocation" means withdrawal of a nurse aide training program's or competency evaluation program's approval for failing to comply with applicable state requirements specified in s.
146.40, Stats.
DHS 129.03(49)
(49) “Statement of deficiencies" means the official document on which the Department records citations.
DHS 129.03(50)
(50) “Student nurse" means an individual who is enrolled in a school for professional nurses or a school for licensed practical nurses that meets standards established by the Board of Nursing under s.
441.01 (4), Stats., and ch.
N 1, or who has successfully completed the course work of a basic nursing course in any school that is approved by the Board of Nursing under s.
441.06 (1) (a), Stats., but has not successfully completed the examination under s.
441.06 (1) (e) or
441.10 (1) (e), Stats.
DHS 129.03(51)
(51) “Substantial change" means a change to the facility, agency, organization or person that administers the training; program designee; program site; the curriculum; the classroom; the clinical site; primary instructor; and program trainer.
DHS 129.03(52)
(52) “Suspension" means a temporary withdrawal of the department's approval for a facility, agency or other organization to provide a training or competency evaluation program if the entity providing the program is not in compliance with an approval previously issued by the department.
DHS 129.03(53)
(53) “Training program" means a program approved under this chapter to train nurse aides, feeding assistants or medication aides.
DHS 129.03(54)
(54) “Variance" means the department's approval of an alternate requirement requested by a health care provider in place of a requirement of this chapter.
DHS 129.03(55)
(55) “Waiver" means the department's approval of an exemption requested by a health care provider from a requirement of this chapter.
DHS 129.03(56)
(56) “Waiver of prohibition" means an authorization for a program to be taught in but not by the entity's staff that has had its approval denied or withdrawn pursuant to Public Law 105-15, Section 1819 (f) (2) and Section 1919 (f) (2) of the Social Security Act, and
42 U.S.C. 1395i3 (f) (2) and
42 U.S.C. 1396r (f) (2).
DHS 129.03 History
History: CR 08-042: cr. register November 2008 No. 635, eff. 12-1-08; corrections in (1), (4), (21), (23), (27), (28) and (29) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register November 2008 No. 635; correction in (24) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats.,
Register February 2012 No. 674; correction in (50) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register July 2015 No. 715; correction in (25) and (50) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register November 2015 No. 719;
CR 16-088: cr. (30m)
Register September 2017 No. 741, eff. 10-1-17;
2019 Wis. Act 1: am. (19) (c)
Register May 2019 No. 761, eff. 6-1-19;
CR 20-068: am. (18)
Register December 2021 No. 792, eff. 1-1-22;
CR 21-087: r. and recr. (30m), r. (31)
Register June 2022 No. 798, eff. 7-1-22.
DHS 129.04(1)(1)
Requirements for waivers or variances. The department may grant a request for a waiver of or a variance from a requirement of this chapter if the department finds that the waiver or variance will not adversely affect the health, safety or welfare of any client; and that either:
DHS 129.04(1)(a)
(a) The requirement that the health care provider or program seeks relief from would result in unreasonable hardship or is infeasible as applied to the training program or competency evaluation program.
DHS 129.04(1)(b)
(b) If the request is for a variance, the proposed alternative to a rule, including new concepts, methods, procedures, practice, techniques, equipment, personnel qualifications, pilot project or other alternative is in the interest of client care and management or more effective training or testing programs or management.
DHS 129.04(2)(a)(a)
Requests. A request for a waiver or variance may be made at any time, shall be made in writing to the department and shall state all of the following:
DHS 129.04(2)(a)3.
3. The reason or reasons for which the waiver or variance is requested.
DHS 129.04(2)(a)4.
4. If the request is for a variance, the proposed alternative to the rule, including new concepts, methods, procedures, practice, techniques, equipment, personnel qualifications, pilot project or other alternative or alternatives the program proposes and a description of how the proposed alternative or alternatives serves the interests of training and competency evaluation in a manner that is as protective as the requirement from which the variance is sought; and
DHS 129.04(2)(a)6.
6. The department may require additional information from the health care provider or program prior to acting on the request.
DHS 129.04 Note
Note: A request for a waiver or variance should be addressed to the Division of Quality Assurance, P.O. Box 2969, Madison, WI 53701-2969 or faxed to 608-264-6340.
