Medication Tech Training

Massachusetts has an state- approved plan ; and has been using it for years. The people passing meds have to go thru a 12 to 16 hour course, and be tested by an independant testing agency. (American Red Cross at present )

i am currently a MAP ( medication administration program ) trainer and do find that the staff need ALOT of training and practice to do this properly.

I also live in Tn & didn't know this law was passed. I am a nurse manager for a dialysis clinic & personally letting med techs pass meds scares me to death. I am working on my BSN & feel they don't have the theory to do such a task. I am responsible for all the staff that are under me & surely wouldn't want to get in a court case. If that happened the RN would be the one held responsible. ok that's my 2 cents worth.

Here in MA, our Nurse Practice Act specifically states that we are NOT liable for errors made by MAP certified personnel . Otherwise there is no way i would do this either.

[quote=DDRN4me]Massachusetts has an state- approved plan ; and has been using it for years. The people passing meds have to go thru a 12 to 16 hour course, and be tested by an independant testing agency. (American Red Cross at present )

i am currently a MAP ( medication administration program ) trainer and do find that the staff need ALOT of training and practice to do this properly.[/quote

Hi Charlie,

I have the training material that RI uses and what we are supposed to start using in January as well. It owuld be advisable to actually look at the ammendment that was passed to see if it specifically states what training material should be used. If there isn't specific training material I'd be more than happy to share what we use. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance--this is an area that means a lot to me as an RN. I've seen it be successful, but I've also seen it fail miserably and put some clients at risk.

Sandy

Whether I was responsible for "their errors" or not, I would not let an unlicensed person dispense meds to patients assigned to me. I am in TN also and have not heard anything about this. How can a person trained between 8-16 hours possibly be any kind of substitute for a person who went to school for years? Perhaps T.A. Ball (Canada) would approve of this?

Dutch girl. i do agree with you... i do not provide direct care, my job is classified as a nurse consultant, so that is why i can (almost) try to live with the MAP program. I train most of my staff, and re train, and investigate every med occurrence thoroughly and follow thru with re- training. If we have an individual that has new meds or a new dx, i go in and do additional specific trainings.

totally OT...where in TN do you live? I am going to Nashville next week!!

OK--so get this! For several years we fought to get our Nurse Practice Act ammended to allow delegation to Direct Support Professional for medication admnistration etc. in group homes for the deelopmentaly disabled. Effective, 1/1/2007 we are supposed to start using a new, more detailed curriculum that the state was supposed to institute. Well, it has not yet been instituted but the Nurse Practice Act specifically states that particular trianing program. So, as of 1/1/2007 I cannot delegate to anyone who has not worked within the system for less than two years or I will be in violation of my license. (not just me, but all the nurses in the DD field in my state) We wrote to the Director of our field at the state level, and she hasn't even replied to us. Do I A) go to the Board of Nursing and tell them what is going on? B) Let our state nursing agency know c) contact the ANA? D) learn to live with it? E) fnd a new job (after being with my agency for almost 10 years)?

where can i get medication tech training online

^^ There is no online training for certified medication tech.

I am a cna for several yrs. and last yr. got my cmt. I had 30 hrs. training and took a written & practical test given by an RN from state. I can only pass meds in assisted living, home health & in MR/DD group homes or respite facilities. In TN, license certification is good for 2 yrs. & then you are tested again for recertification.