Certification Programs

Assisted Living Management Certification Course

ICAL’s Assisted Living Management Certification Course will prepare participants to develop services and procedures that reflect assisted living values and comply with state rules for program certification. Whether you are new to health care, or simply new to the assisted living continuum, this course will give you the skills and confidence needed to manage your community successfully.

This course meets the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) requirements, IAC 481-69.29(5), to certify a participant who successfully completes the course as an assisted living program director. This course is required for the program manager/administrative director; however, it is not necessarily required for the nursing or clinical director.

Course content:

• Essential components of a well-balanced assisted living management program
• 18 online units
• Assisted Living Regulatory Course that can be taken in-person (recommended) or on-demand. IHCA hosts an in-person version of this course multiple times per year, and these courses are listed on IHCA’s Events Calendar.
  • You must register for and complete the Assisted Living Regulatory Class after completing this on-demand certification course to become a certified assisted living manager

Continuing education credit:

The course is approved for 23.0 contact hours for:

• Nurses (IBON provider #166)
• Nursing facility administrators
• Assisted living managers

Assisted Living Medication Manager Course

Prior to administering medications, all unlicensed personnel passing medication in Iowa assisted living programs are required to have successfully completed a medication aide or medication manager course approved by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL).

IHCA’s hybrid Assisted Living Medication Manager Course is approved by DIAL and provides individuals the necessary tools to effectively and safely administer many medications encountered in assisted living programs and residential care facilities (RCFs). Students must be over the age of 18 to be eligible to complete the course. Please note: RCF rules state that medication managers can pass meds only if the RCF is freestanding and has less than 15 beds. If the RCF does not meet these conditions, a certified medication aide is required.

Course content:

• Introduction to pharmacy
• Review of body systems
• Medications used to treat common conditions found in the aged
• Medication administration and documentation
• Ten hours of online training available on-demand
• Six-hour clinical practicum to be completed in the respective assisted living program by the delegating RN
• A proctored online exam

Course sponsor:

Certified Medication Aide (CMA) Course

The purpose of IHCA’s CMA Course is to certify certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to safely administer non-parental medications in nursing facilities and other settings where a CMA is allowed to assist with medication administration.

IHCA’s 60-hour CMA Course is approved by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL).

Course content:

• Safe handling and administration of medications to residents
• 30 hours of online instruction
• 30 hours of clinical experience
• Final exam conducted online and proctored by an IHCA staff member

Prerequisites:

All facilities are required to identify the RN responsible for supervision of clinical hours. To take this course and become certified, the applicant must work in a nursing facility, assisted living program or residential care facility.

If employed at a certified nursing facility, applicants must:

• Be employed in the same facility and work at least 480 hours prior to the start of the CMA Course
• Be eligible on the Iowa Nurse Aide Registry
• Have a facility sponsor form completed by the facility administrator

If employed at a residential care facility (15+ beds), assisted living or other care provider, applicants must:

• Provide a letter of approval/recommendation for participation from the facility administrator in which they are employed
• Provide supporting documents

Course sponsors:

Certified Medication Aide (CMA) Challenge Exam

In addition to taking a CMA Course – there are two other options are available to become a CMA in Iowa. Iowa Administrative Code 481-58.21(6) discusses the requirements for nursing students and medication aides certified in other states to perform medication administration in nursing facilities in Iowa. In each of these scenarios, a challenge examination is required.

CMA challenge exam eligibility criteria:

All items listed for each are required to be eligible to challenge the exam.

For nursing students:

• CNA certification in Iowa
• Official transcripts that indicate the following:
  • Clinical or nursing theory course completion within six months of anticipated exam date
  • Successful completion of a pharmacology course within one year of anticipated exam date
• An attestation from a college instructor stating the applicant has demonstrated competence in medication administration

For CMAs certified in other states:

• CNA certification in Iowa
• Copy of certified medication aide (or their home state’s equivalent) certification OR transcripts showing completion of the course

How to apply to take CMA challenge exam:

IHCA provides CMA challenge examination to eligible individuals. To apply for this opportunity:

1. Complete this form.
2. Email the above form, along with the required documentation listed in the form, to IHCA’s Brenda Irlbeck, VP, Quality Improvement and Regulatory Compliance.
3. Once IHCA confirms that you qualify to challenge the CMA exam, you will receive further instruction from IHCA regarding registration, payment and exam details.

Iowa Food Manager Certification Course

IHCA’s Iowa Food Manager Certification Course is designed to educate individuals who work in the food service industry, particularly those in managerial or supervisory roles. The primary goal of this course is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure food safety and compliance with relevant health regulations.

This course meets minimum federal requirements and state requirements for dietary managers and supervisors in nursing homes, as well as state requirements for personnel responsible for food preparation and service in assisted living programs and residential care facilities.

Course content:

• Food safety principles
• Regulatory compliance
• Personal hygiene
• Foodborne illnesses
• Facility and equipment maintenance
• Training and education
• Certification exam
  • Successful completion of this exam is required to obtain the Food Manager Certification

Continuing education credit:

The course is approved for 5.0 contact hours for:

• Dietary staff
• Nursing facility administrators

LPN-IV Certification Course

IHCA’s member-only LPN-IV Certification Course is designed to prepare the licensed practical nurse (LPN) to perform procedures related to the expanded scope of intravenous (IV) therapy in a licensed hospital or licensed skilled nursing facility as identified in 655 IAC 6.5(3).

Course content:

• Online modules and quizzes
• Two in-person lab days at the IHCA office in West Des Moines, IA
• Clinical training conducted in the student’s facility with the facility’s RN preceptor
• Final exam conducted via computer on the last in-person lab day in the IHCA office
  • A laptop computer is required to take the test

Prerequisites:

Before starting the course, the following prerequisites must be completed:

• The LPN must hold a current unrestricted Iowa license to practice as an LPN
• The LPN must have 1,040 hours of documented practice
• The RN employed by the student’s facility who will oversee the clinical training in your building must be determined

Continuing education credit

The course is approved for 43.0 contact hours for:

• Nurses (IBON provider #166)

Course sponsors:

Mandatory Reporter Certification and Recertification Courses

It is everyone’s responsibility to report suspected abuse. Iowa Code section 232.69 defines some professionals as mandatory reporters of child abuse, and Iowa Code section 235B.3(2) defines some professionals as mandatory reporters of dependent adult abuse.

Certification Courses

Every individual required to report suspected abuse as defined in Iowa Code must complete two hours of mandatory reporter training within their first six months of employment or self-employment.

The following courses housed on IHCA’s on-demand platform meet the two-hour training requirement:

• Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter On-Demand Course
• Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter On-Demand Course

Recertification Courses

After completing the original two-hour mandatory reporter certification training, mandatory reporters are required by law to renew their certification every three years by taking the one-hour recertification course.

The following courses housed on IHCA’s on-demand platform meet one-hour recertification training requirement:

• Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter Recertification Course
• Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter Recertification Course

If a mandatory reporter goes one day beyond the expiration of their current certification, they must then complete the two-hour training instead of the one-hour recertification training.

If your employment qualifies you as a mandatory reporter for both child abuse and dependent adult abuse, you are required to take both trainings and maintain certification for both curricula.

Continuing education credit:

Each mandatory reporter certification course is approved for 2.0 contact hours, and each recertification course is approved for 1.0 contact hours for:

• Nurses (IBON provider #166)
• Nursing facility administrators
• Department heads
• Activity professionals
• Environmental services staff
• Dietary staff
• Social services staff
• Assisted living managers