Paid Dining Assistant

 
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Professions & Occupations
 
 
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What you need to know

​​​​​Paid dining assistants are single task workers who: 
  • Work in nursing homes only.
  • Only feed residents who have no complicated feeding problems.
  • Work under the supervision of a licensed registered or practical nurse who is on duty, physically present in the nursing home, and immediately available.
  • Must call a supervisor for help in an emergency.
  • Supplement and are not a substitute for licensed registered and practical nurses or nursing assistants.

Qualifications

  • At least 16 years of age;
  • Able to speak and understand English or a language understood by the nursing home resident being fed;
  • Has successfully completed a state-approved course of training for paid dining assistants;
  • Has no adverse finding on the Nurse Aide Registry or the Adult Protective Services Registry; and
  • Has no adverse finding on the Child Central Registry if the nursing home more than one resident under the age of 19 years has at any one time.

Registry – The Department will maintain a registry of individuals who have successfully completed an approved paid dining assistant course and competency evaluation. The registry will include:

  • Name
  • Identification number; and
  • Date of course completion and competency evaluation.
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Applications & Forms

Requirements

Course/Training Requirements

Paid dining assistant courses must:

  • Be approved by the Department
  • Be taught by a single entity or person
  • Consist of at least eight hours of classroom and clinical instruction
  • Be administered by a licensed registered nurse; and
  • Include a competency evaluation in the required content areas

Curriculum for a paid dining assistant course - see Paid Dining Assistant Regulations​

Submission of Course Approval Form

Competency assessments must be determined by a licensed registered nurse.

Nursing Home Requirements

Maintain for each individual paid dining assistant:

  • Verification of successful completion of an approved paid dining assistant training course and competency evaluation
  • Verification that the facility has made checks with the Nurse Aide Registry, the Adult Protective Services Central Registry, and the Child Central Registry if applicable

Maintain for two years:

  • Course attendance records for each course
  • Name and title of the instructor for the course
  • Name of individuals completing the course, and
  • Dates and hours completed in each course topic.

Also maintain:

  • List of all paid dining assistants employed at the facility and the number of hours worked
  • Policies and procedures 
    • Supervision of Paid Dining Assistants 
    • Identification of Paid Dining Assistants as single task workers
Office of Nursing Support
Department of Health & Human Services/Division of Public Health/Licensure Unit
Phone Number
(402) 471-4322
 
Fax Number
(402) 742-1151
Mailing & Physical Addresses

DHHS Licensure Unit

Attn: Paid Dining Assistant

PO Box 94986

Lincoln NE 68509-4986

 

Nebraska State Office Building

301 Centennial Mall South
14th & M Streets, 3rd Floor
Lincoln NE 68508

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed federal holidays.​​