How to Become an Assisted Living Administrator

If you feel a calling to help elderly individuals or adults with disabilities but aren’t the hands-on type, a career in assisted living administration may be perfect for you. To start, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a high school diploma (or GED), have a clean background check, complete RCFE classes, and pass a final licensing exam.

What Are RCFE Classes?

RCFE (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly) classes are here to prepare you for the ins and outs of running an assisted living facility. Some classes are available online, but they’re mostly always followed by physical classrooms and hands-on learning. You’ll be required to complete a number of hours to earn your certification, but these vary by program and state.

What Do RCFE Classes Cover?

Primarily, you’ll learn about the daily care of your residents, including aspects such as:

• bathing and dressing
• healthful meals
• first aid 
• cleanliness and safety

You’ll also learn about laws and regulations in your state so you can keep the facility up to standards, as well as various administrative tasks that you’ll need to know before you start, such as staffing and scheduling.

What Happens After the Final Exam?

At the end of your RCFE classes, you’ll need to sit for an exam and pass with a score of 70% in order to get your license. Depending on your state’s requirements, you’ll probably have to sit for a refresher exam every few years to stay on top of changing laws and regulations. With the proper education under your belt, you’ll be able to work in an care facility or open your very own.

4 Reasons To Take Your RCFE Classes Online

Are you dreaming of running a residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE) but dreading a long drive to in-person RCFE classes? If so, you should consider taking the courses online. The state of California lets you complete up to 20 hours virtually. You may even be able to finish the remaining 60 hours via Zoom or a similar videoconference application.

Benefits of Online RCFE Classes

1. More Free Time

With virtual RCFE courses, you do not have to waste time traveling to and from a classroom. Instead of spending hours on the freeway or sitting in traffic, you can focus more on activities you enjoy.

2. Collaboration Opportunities

Even when your classes are online, you do not have to learn by yourself. Many virtual courses come with message boards and chat features that you can use to communicate with your classmates. You can also utilize these tools to speak one-on-one with your professor if necessary.

3. Flexible Scheduling

You do not need to completely rearrange your schedule to attend your online classes. You can simply turn on your computer and listen to the lectures at a time that is convenient for you.

4. Improved Time Management

It is somewhat easy to arrange your schedule when your class is on a set day and time. The flexibility provided by an online course makes time management more difficult but also allows you to sharpen this important skill.

Next Steps

Your online RCFE classes should teach you the same things you would learn during in-person lectures. After you complete the course, you can sign up for the certification exam. You should have the knowledge you need to pass the test and become an RCFE administrator.

How Does An RCFE Operations Manual Help Administrators Run Their Facilities?

Anyone planning to open and run a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly should take RCFE classes and apply for a license after passing the mandatory state exam. Finding and opening an appropriate location and clients is essential, but your facility’s long-term success revolves around the information you will find in your RCFE Operations manual.

What Does the RCFE Operations Manual Include?

The manual consists of a wide range of policies and procedures administrators need to run a safe, efficient and profitable facility. It draws upon the experiences and advice of other administrators and healthcare professionals. 

The RCFE manual organizes specific categories of information in a table of contents. It includes all the topics covered in RCFE classes, including resident services, physical campus maintenance, personnel hiring, food services, medication administration, dementia care, and business operations.

The manual is also helpful for dealing with issues that administrators do not encounter routinely. Therefore, it is an indispensable tool that helps administrators avoid making mistakes that negatively affect their facilities. For example, the guide discusses how to prepare for state compliance visits to avoid losing their licenses.

How Can The RCFE Manual Benefit Administrator Candidates?

Studying the RCFE operations manual while taking RCFE classes can help prepare administrator candidates for their wide-ranging responsibilities. For example, the manual contains a glossary of terms that candidates must know and understand to prepare for their certification exams and perform their jobs throughout their careers. 

How Can Someone Acquire an RCFE Operations Manual?

Most education organizations, such as https://assistedlivingeducation.com/, that offer RCFE classes also create and sell copies of the operations manual that administrator candidates can purchase and use to guide how they run their facilities and remain in compliance.

Individuals who choose careers as  RCFE administrators must wear many hats while running their facilities and cannot afford oversights or errors. Therefore, an RCFE operations manual serves as insurance to help them make the best possible decisions to benefit the residents in their care.