The DSD’s Annual In-Service Compliance Checklist
Every required and recommended annual staff in-service topic for skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities, gathered on one page you can print, check off, and hand to a surveyor. Built from the federal CMS training rule (§483.95), OSHA, and the clinical and safety subjects surveyors expect to see.
Required by federal regulation
Training topics named in the CMS long-term-care rule, 42 CFR §483.95.
- Abuse, neglect & exploitationPrevention, recognition, and how and to whom to report. Required, and a perennial survey focus.
- Residents’ rights & dignityThe resident’s rights and the facility’s responsibilities under federal law.
- Infection prevention & controlHand hygiene, standard & transmission-based precautions, PPE, and your IPCP.
- CommunicationEffective communication with residents, families, and the care team.
- Compliance & ethicsThe facility’s standards of conduct and how to raise a concern.
- Behavioral healthSupporting residents’ mental and psychosocial well-being and trauma-informed care.
- QAPI awarenessWhat quality assurance & performance improvement means for frontline staff.
Required by OSHA
Worker-safety training for healthcare employers — bloodborne pathogens is retrained annually.
- Bloodborne pathogensAnnual retraining under OSHA 1910.1030 for staff with exposure risk.
- Hazard communicationChemical safety and the right-to-understand (labels, SDS).
- Emergency action & fire safetyEvacuation, RACE/PASS, and your facility’s emergency plan.
- TB / respiratory protectionWhere exposure risk and fit-testing apply.
Recommended clinical & safety topics
Commonly expected in an annual in-service calendar and frequently cited on survey.
- Fall preventionRisk assessment, environment, and post-fall response.
- Pressure injury & skin carePrevention, staging awareness, repositioning, and reporting.
- Dementia care & behaviorPerson-centered approaches and de-escalation. Required content for nurse aides.
- Elopement & wanderingPrevention, monitoring, and response.
- Safe lifting & body mechanicsTransfers, mechanical lifts, and injury prevention.
- Nutrition, hydration & diningAssisting with meals, aspiration precautions, and weight monitoring.
- HIPAA & privacyProtecting resident information in person and online.
- Advance directives & end-of-lifeHonoring wishes, POLST, and comfort-focused care.
- Restraint reductionAlternatives to physical and chemical restraints.
- Workplace violence preventionRecognizing, de-escalating, and reporting.
- Emergency preparednessAll-hazards planning, drills, and staff roles.
- Person-centered customer serviceDignity, choice, and family communication.
Every topic above — already written, ready to teach
Our in-service library covers all of these with a complete lesson plan, handout, quiz, speaker notes and slide deck for each — 186 lessons in all. Stop building in-services from scratch and hand your staff development back to yourself for $49.
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