**Registered Nurses Can Now Delegate Tracheostomy Care to Nursing Assistants, and New Certified Nurse Aide Registry Created** South Dakota has expanded what registered nurses can delegate to nursing assistants and created a separate registration process for certified nurse aides. Registered nurses may now delegate tracheostomy care and suctioning tasks (like cleaning the stoma, changing the inner tube, and suctioning) to trained nursing assistants in shared living homes when the patient's condition is stable and routine, though the nurse must assess the patient monthly and annually. The state also established a new certified nurse aide certification requiring completion of a board-approved training program, passage of a knowledge exam (75% passing score), and demonstration of skills through a practical evaluation—separate from the existing medication aide registration—with renewal required every two years and at least 12 hours of annual in-service education that includes dementia management and abuse reporting.
AI-generated from the adopted rule text — verify against the official documents.
The effect of the rules changes will be to update terms used; to add rules to allow the board’s compliance committee to issue a summary suspension; to amend and add rules to allow a registered nurse to delegate tracheostomy care and suctioning to a nursing assistant and to provide training and supervision requirements; to amend and add rules for the regulation of certified nurse aides (CNA) including nurse aide training program standards for approval, competency evaluation program requirements, registration requirements, and grounds for removal from the registry.
No specific cites listed — see the package documents.
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