Diversicare of Amory: Untrained Nurses Giving Care - MS
Graduate Practical Nurse #1 started work at Diversicare of Amory on July 15, 2025, fresh from nursing school. During a phone interview with state inspectors on August 21, she explained that no staff had checked her off on any skills and she had not been provided with a skills checkoff form.
"If I had questions, I just asked whoever was around," she told investigators.
She had not been assigned a specific preceptor. She felt overwhelmed with charting, admission paperwork, and incident reporting because the staff she shadowed during her first days had not reviewed these processes with her.
The facility's own policy, outlined in a document titled "We Are Knowledgeable and Competent," requires new hire licensed practical charge nurses to complete a three-week skills checkoff process. Both the administrator and the LPN charge nurse must sign off on successful completion.
None of that happened.
Clinical Educator confirmed she was on vacation when the graduate nurse began employment. When she returned on July 18, she found the new hire dispensing medications by herself.
"Each time she passed her in the hall, she was alone," according to the inspection report. The educator confirmed she had not performed any skills checkoffs with the graduate nurse and was unsure if the former Director of Nursing had done so either.
"She should not have been on the medication cart alone. She could have hurt someone," the educator told inspectors.
The breakdown extended beyond the graduate nurse. Two certified nurse assistants hired around the same time also worked without proper skills verification.
CNA #2's "Z Slider Lift Skills Checklist," dated July 15, was not signed as completed. Her "Peri-Care Audit Tool" contained no signatures or dates. The "Shaving, Nail, and Foot Care Audits" were marked as skills met but contained no staff or trainer names to verify who had actually observed the work.
CNA #3 faced identical documentation gaps. Her lift skills checklist from July 29 was unsigned with no staff name identified. Her personal care audit tools remained blank, and grooming skill audits showed checkmarks without any verification of who had witnessed the demonstrations.
The clinical educator revealed systemic problems beyond individual cases. She had been in the educator role since March 2025 and had never obtained completed new hire skills checkoffs for any employee. She explained it was difficult to complete her training responsibilities because she was frequently pulled to work the medication cart herself.
She only learned about the "We Are Knowledgeable and Competent" form for licensed practical nurses one week before the inspection, during a meeting.
When inspectors interviewed the administrator, she confirmed the facility could not locate any skills review forms for the graduate practical nurse. The previous Director of Nursing, who would have been responsible for starting the new hire's training, was no longer with the facility.
The administrator acknowledged that all new hires should have skills checkoffs to ensure competency. She admitted that failing to complete this training "could result in residents not receiving care or receiving the wrong care."
The inspection was conducted as part of a complaint investigation, though the specific nature of the complaint was not detailed in the report.
Federal regulations require nursing facilities to ensure staff have appropriate competencies to maximize each resident's well-being. The violation affected many residents, as untrained staff provided direct care and medication administration without proper oversight.
The graduate practical nurse's experience illustrates the human cost of inadequate training systems. Fresh from school, she was thrust into medication responsibilities without the support structure the facility's own policies promised. Her admission that she felt overwhelmed with basic nursing documentation suggests the gaps in preparation extended far beyond technical skills to fundamental job functions.
The clinical educator's candid assessment that the untrained nurse "could have hurt someone" while working the medication cart alone captures the potential consequences. Medication errors in nursing homes can cause serious harm to vulnerable residents who depend on precise dosing and timing of multiple prescriptions.
The pattern of unsigned, undated, and unverified skills checklists suggests a facility where training documentation existed on paper but not in practice. Three new hires, across both licensed and unlicensed staff, all began caring for residents without completing required competency verification.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Diversicare of Amory from 2025-08-21 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
DIVERSICARE OF AMORY in AMORY, MS was cited for violations during a health inspection on August 21, 2025.
Graduate Practical Nurse #1 started work at Diversicare of Amory on July 15, 2025, fresh from nursing school.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.