Archive for May, 2010

Just a quick update on books that you may want to reference before taking the Nursing Home Administrator Exam (NAB Test):

1. My personal favorite: NAB Study Guide. I extensively used the 4th edition, and now there is a 5th edition. So far I haven’t had any experience with the newest version, but the older version was a “must buy.” However, don’t expect to get by with passing the exam just using this guide. It is just one of many tools to help prepare you. To purchase the new version, click on this link to the NAB website. Sometimes I was able to find used 4th editions of the “NAB Study Guide 4th Edition” at a better price.

2. Another one of my favorite books is “Principles of Health Care Administration” by Wilborn Davis and Joseph Townsend. Although it isn’t a study guide, I found that this book covered information essential to passing the NAB exam.

3. For all nursing home administrators (and future administrators), you will want to purchase “The Long Term Care Survey” which contains the latest CMS updates, regulations, and survey procedures. Go to the AHCA bookstore to purchase. The latest version is currently September 2009.

4. James E. Allen’s 5th Edition Study Guide is a helpful resource—not my preferred favorite but a useful tool nonetheless. He also has a Nursing Home Administration 5th Edition.

5. The Licensing Exam Review Guide in Nursing Home Administration: 1000 Test Questions in the Nation Examination Format on the 1996 Domains of Practice

Other Useful Resources:

1. One helpful management book for nursing home administrators is
“Effective Management of Long Term Care” by Douglas Singh.

2. “The Toyota Way to Healthcare Excellence: Increase Efficiency and Improve Quality with Lean (ACHE Management)” by John Black is another useful management book.

3. The “Eden Alternative” has become popular in recent years which involves transforming nursing homes into lively environments with gardens, animals, and children. The book, “Life Worth Living: How Someone You Love Can Still Enjoy Life in a Nursing Home – The Eden Alternative in Action” by William H. Thomas, M.D. explores ways to promote life and engage residents – a must read for administrators and/or nursing home staff.

4. For those of you who are visionaries, check out Beth Baker’s “Old Age in a New Age: The Promise of Transformative Nursing Homes.” In this book, Baker discovers ways to value staff and avoid high turnover, reduce dementia behavioral issues through the environment, and provide better care to residents without costing the nursing home more money.

5. To get a different perspective on resident care, here is a book written by a CNA, entitled “Nobody’s Home: Candid Reflections of a Nursing Home Aide.”

6. An old favorite that I still reference from time to time is Dale Carnegie’s, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

For more suggestions, check out my recommended books link.