As the baby boom generation ages, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities will be tested in their ability to provide care. Many use a limited number of registered nurses to supervise vocational nurses and nurses' aides, enabling lower-cost staff to provide routine care. In some states, specially-trained nurses' aides called Certified Medication Aides stretch care further, by administering routine medications to patients.
Certified medication aides are nurses' aides first, and must have a strong grasp of basic patient care. As the staff members with the most direct patient contact, nurses' aides are responsible for observing and reporting any change in their patients' condition. They must clearly understand the legal and ethical limits of their position, which doesn't permit them to change a patient's medications, provide injections or start intravenous drips. Medication aides must understand medical and pharmacological terminology, and manage medications for a large number of patients without making dosage errors or providing medications to the wrong patient.
Primary CMA Duties
The medication aide's role is providing routine daily medications, either prescription or non-prescription, to patients whose condition and drug regimen are stable. The aide has a list of patients and medications each day, and must administer medications in the indicated dosage at the correct time. The aide must ensure the patient actually swallows the medications, which can be an issue with rebellious patients or those with dementia. A warm and encouraging manner can be useful to win the patient's willing compliance. If the medication aide observes a change in the patient's vital signs or behavior, or any other indication of adverse effects from a medication, it must be reported to the charge nurse.
Acting as a CNA
When they're not actively dispensing medications or preparing medications for the next set of rounds, certified medication aides revert to the duties they share with other certified nurses' aides. Those consist of basic hands-on nursing care, such as bathing and feeding patients, helping them with toilet visits and basic hygiene, or supervising their participation in exercise or physical therapy. When functioning as a nursing aide, the aide is supervised by practical or registered nurses. Supervision for medication aides must come from the registered nurse acting as charge nurse for that shift.
In most states, medication aides must work first as certified nurses' aides or nursing assistants. Some train on the job, but many states require CNAs to graduate from a formal training program lasting up to one year. They're also required to pass a state licensing exam. Not all states permit the use of medication aides, and those that do vary widely in their training requirements. They can range from as little as four hours' training to as much as 100 hours. Some states administer their own licensing exams. Others recognize a certification exam administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which awards the Certified Medication Aide credential.