dph.georgia.gov · license practical nurses (lpns) employed as women ... semester credit hours each...

GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL OM

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) Employed as a WIC CPA OM-420.02

Effective Date: March 2, 2017 No. of Pages: 2

Page 1 of 2 Revised date:

Policy

Physicians, nutritionists (bachelor’s or master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences, Community

Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition), registered dietitians, licensed

dietitians, registered nurses, and physician assistants (certified by the National Committee on

certification of Physicians Assistants or certified by the State medical certifying authority), or

State or local medically trained health officials are acknowledged and therefore, authorized to

serve in the role as a Competent Professional Authority (CPA).

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are not acknowledged as Competent Professional Authorities

(CPAs) and are not authorized to serve in this role. As a result, LPNs shall not be hired or

transferred to serve in this role after March 2, 2017. LPNs hired prior to March 2, 2017 and

currently serving in a Georgia WIC CPA role may continue to work in this role.

Purpose

To comply with federal regulations that define the CPA and ensure a smooth transition in

Georgia WIC staffing implementation.

Procedure

I. Nutrition Services Directors or designee will submit a list of LPNs working as WIC CPAs to the State WIC Office by June 30, 2017.

II. For LPNs serving in this role prior to March 2, 2017, the state WIC office will provide each

district with a letter verifying that the LPN(s) currently serving in the role as a CPA are

eligible to continue to provide CPA WIC Services.

III. Districts shall keep the state WIC office issued letter on file as proof of verification of their

LPN’s status as WIC CPA’s.

IV. LPNs seeking to transfer to a WIC CPA position in another clinic or District must meet

current qualifications for the desired position.

V. Once a LPN WIC CPA has a break in service of one or more business days or a

termination of employment, they must meet current WIC CPA definition to be eligible to be

hired as a WIC CPA.

VI. Districts will notify the State Program Operations and Nutrition Office when an LPN WIC

CPA is no longer in the position for which the district received a letter verifying their status

as an eligible WIC CPA. The employment status change will be reported to the State

Program Operations and Nutrition Office within 15 days of the effective date.

GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL OM

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) Employed as a WIC CPA OM-420.02

Effective Date: March 2, 2017 No. of Pages: 2

Page 2 of 2 Revised date:

Authority

Federal CPA definition Definitions/Supporting Information

Competent Professional Authority (CPA) – An individual on the local agency staff who is

authorized to determine nutritional risk and prescribe supplemental foods. The following

individuals may be authorized and trained to serve as a CPA: physicians, nutritionists

(bachelor’s or master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences, Community Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition,

Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition), registered dietitians, licensed dietitians, registered nurses,

and physician assistants (certified by the National Committee on certification of Physicians

Assistants or certified by the State medical certifying authority), or State or local medically

trained health officials.

Break in Service – Separation from service for a period of one or more days.

of 2

Clarifying Questions and Answers License Practical Nurses (LPNs) Employed as Women, Infant and Children (WIC)

Competent Professional Authority (CPA)

1) Who is considered a LPN WIC CPA? A LPN WIC CPA is any LPN performing job responsibilities of a WIC CPA upon receipt of this memorandum, regardless of the amount of time spent on these job duties.

2) What information must be submitted for each LPN currently working as a WIC CPA? LPN

Name, Employee ID Number, Hire Date, Current Position, District Employed, and List of clinic(s) where they provide WIC services on the LPN Roster Form provided with this memorandum.

3) What is the process to confirm a LPN WIC CPA status after the names are submitted to the

state Office of Program Operations and Nutrition Services? The state office will provide each district with a letter verifying that the LPN(s) are eligible to provide CPA WIC Services. The letter should be kept on file and made available upon request.

4) Is the District required to change the Job Description or Job Code of a LPN currently working as a WIC CPA? No, the duties for a LPN WIC CPA will not change, so the current Job Code and Job Description can still be used.

5) What do I do when a LPN working as a WIC CPA retires / quits / finds employment with another agency outside of WIC? The termination date and the LPN’s name must be submitted to the State Office of Program Operations and Nutrition Services for tracking purposes.

6) Is a LPN working as a WIC CPA eligible to transfer to another clinic or District as a WIC CPA? In order to transfer to another WIC CPA position, the applicant must meet the current qualifications for the desired position. See CPA Definition on the following page.

7) What happens if there is a break in service for a LPN working as a WIC CPA? A LPN will no longer be eligible to work as a WIC CPA following a break in service.

8) Are LPNs employed as WIC CPAs by other state public health or WIC programs eligible to transfer into Georgia WIC? No. They cannot transfer into Georgia WIC in a WIC CPA position, but can occupy other roles as eligible.

9) Can a LPN already employed by my district start performing WIC CPA duties? Only names previously submitted for a letter confirming LPN WIC CPA status can act as a WIC CPA. This will become effective once approved by USDA and the action memo and policy take effect.

10) What happens if a District hires a LPN as a WIC CPA after March 2, 2017? The District will be considered out of compliance with CPA hiring guidelines, and will be subject to a financial audit and financial payback as deemed appropriate.

of 2

11) The CPA definition states “…or State or local medically trained health officials”. What does that mean and does Georgia have them? Federal regulations allow states to create a training and certification process for CPAs. Georgia does not have a CPA certificate training program however, is open to discuss how to assess this and other options in the future.

Competent Professional Authority (CPA) – An individual on the local agency staff who is authorized to determine nutritional risk and prescribe supplemental foods. The following individuals may be authorized and trained to serve as a CPA: physicians, nutritionists (bachelor’s or master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences, Community Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition), registered dietitians, licensed dietitians, registered nurses, and physician assistants (certified by the National Committee on certification of Physicians Assistants or certified by the State medical certifying authority), or State or local medically trained health officials.

Date: June 2, 2017

Date: June 2, 2017 Page 1 of 4

Georgia WIC Program

Non-DPD Nutrition Degree Required Coursework

CPA Eligibility Verification Worksheet

Name of Applicant Screened: Date Form Completed:

School(s) of Attendance and year:

Degree verified as: Bachelor or Master’s in Nutritional Sciences, Community Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition (List Name of Degree Awarded):

Name of Reviewer: Approved as a CPA (YES / NO):

CPA Eligibility Verification Worksheet Instructions

All non-nursing WIC CPA applicants must have earned a bachelors or master’s degree in Nutritional Science, Community Nutrition, Clinical

Nutrition, Dietetics, or Public Health Nutrition. A Degree may have differing names such as Human Nutrition, Wellness, Human Ecology, Food and

Nutrition, Nutrition and Hospitality Management, Food Science and Human Nutrition, or Nutrition and Food Management.

WIC CPA applicants who have earned a verification statement of completion from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by the

Accreditation Council on Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) are eligible for CPA positions in the Dietitian/Nutritionist job series and this

checklist is not required in screening these applicants.

Applicants to WIC CPA positions who have completed all requirements of a DPD accredited by ACEND but did not earn the verification statement

are eligible for WIC CPA positions in the Health Educator job series. The applicant must produce a letter on DPD letterhead with original signature

of the DPD Director stating all DPD requirements were met. This letter will serve as CPA eligibility; therefore, completion of the checklist is not

required when screening these applicants.

Applicants to WIC CPA positions who have earned one of the degrees stated above, but have not earned an ACEND verification statement from a

DPD may be eligible for WIC CPA positions in the Health Educator job series. The CPA Eligibility Verification Worksheet must be used in screening

these applicants.

Screeners can be hiring managers, human resources professionals, or authorized designees. Applicants must submit original transcripts from all

colleges/universities attended. The screener will review the transcripts to determine the eligibility of the applicant for a WIC CPA position.

The screener will document the name of the college/university, course, year, and number of credits earned. To be eligible for a WIC CPA position,

non-DPD applicants must have a minimum of three (3) semester credit hours each in the following areas of dietetics/nutrition: basic nutrition,

nutrition assessment, nutrition across the lifecycle, nutrition counseling and/or education, community nutrition and/or wellness nutrition, nutrition as

diet therapy for treatment or management of chronic disease.


Course Title/Description Credit Hours

(Semester) Rationale

School, course name, and year of completion

Credit Hours

Verified

Introduction to Nutrition The concepts of digestion, absorption, transport, and elimination are reviewed. Points of study include: energy obtained from food, which supports ongoing activities of body tissue, and the mechanisms used to maintain energy, water and electrolyte balance.

3 Basic course of nutrition, intended to provide the foundation for understanding the science of nutrition, and the application of nutrition principles in daily dietary practice.

Nutrition Assessment Methods of determining the nutritional status of individuals; dietary assessment techniques; clinical assessment (medical history and physical examination), anthropometric and body composition assessment, and assessment of lab values; planning nutritional care including diet modifications and nutrition support; nutrition counseling; documentation on nutritional care.

3 Nutrition Standard 3 identifies nutrition assessment as a core role/responsibility of the CPA. Nutrition Services Standard 6 identifies nutrition assessment as “necessary to link collected health and diet information to risk assessment and delivery of appropriate and personalized nutrition interventions that lead to improved health outcomes. Nutrition assessment by the CPA includes use of tools/equipment to collect information (diet, medical history, hemoglobin screening, and anthropometrics, validation of data, and synthesis and interpretation of findings to determine nutritional risks and appropriate interventions such as food prescription, education, or counseling.





Credit Hours

Verified

Lifecycle Nutrition The study of special nutritional needs, physiology, and health concerns of pregnant and lactating women, infants, children, adolescents, adults and older adults.

3 Nutrition Services Standards 3H identifies the role of the CPA as “providing nutrition education, including breastfeeding promotion and support that is responsive to the identified needs/interests of each participant.” Participant categories include infants, children, pregnant and lactating women (potentially adolescents also), and post-partum women (potentially adolescents).

Nutrition Counseling/Education The study of communication skills, educational theory, and counseling techniques necessary to elicit nutrition-related behavior changes in individuals

3 Nutrition Services Standard 3 states that a core function of the CPA is to provide education and support that is responsive to the needs/interests of participants. It also identifies the need for individual care plans. Nutrition Services Standard 7 identifies goals of nutrition education and counseling as “emphasizing the relationship between nutrition, physical activity, and health as well as assist in achieving a positive change in dietary and physical activity habits resulting in improved nutrition status and the prevention of nutrition related problems.” Nutrition education by the CPA considers nutritional needs and concerns, socioeconomics, culture, environment, knowledge, and literacy level of the participant. Nutrition counseling approaches employed by the CPA are patient centered and outcome focused.





Credit Hours

Verified

Community/PH Nutrition/Wellness The study of role of nutrition in promoting, maintain and improving health in the community and population based health services.

3 Nutrition Services Standard 3 states that referrals to other health and social services is a basic role/responsibility of the CPA. Nutrition Services Standard 11 recognizes the purpose of referrals to health, welfare, and social services in meeting additional needs of participants, assisting in health improvements and positive outcomes.

Medical Nutrition Therapy/Diet Therapy The study of the application of nutrition principles to the treatment and prevention of diseases

3 Nutrition Services Standard 3 states that high risk participants are referred to qualified nutritionist CPAs for implementation of individual care plans. High-risk conditions requiring the attention of qualified CPA nutritionist include weight management, diabetes, hypertension, food allergies, nutrient deficiencies, and other medical conditions that affect nutrient intake and/or utilization.

Total Credit Hours Needed: 18 Total Credit Hours Verified:

dph.georgia.gov · license practical nurses (lpns) employed as women ... semester credit hours each...

Documents