New certification lightens workload for nurses at assisted living facilities
Jan. 24—USA Healthcare's
The Medication Assistant Certification program offers a certification that allows nursing assistants to administer certain routine medications to residents in nursing homes under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse.
The new certification was first rolled out at the end of 2020, and
She said the first two licenses given out for the certification went to two of the nursing assistants at the
Coleman said eight more nursing assistants have just started the course to work as medication aides in
"Right now, as CNAs, they are not allowed to pass medications in a skilled nursing facility," she said. "Once they go through this class and take a proctored test, they earn the certification that allows them to pass medications to our residents."
By allowing CNAs to perform that extra work, that frees up nurses to focus more on observation and addressing any acute needs or conditions that may occur, Johnson said.
She said the program to acquire the Medication Assistant Certification is a three-week, 100-hour course focused on the knowledge and safety of medicine administration, featuring 60 hours of classroom and lab time and 40 clinical hours of working on the floor with a nurse.
While
"I think every skilled nursing facility is going to take advantage of the opportunity to have medication aides in their facilities," she said.
The medication assistant class will at Wallace State will be held
For more information or to register, contact the
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