Certified Medication Technician - Page 8

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  1. May 31, '05 by
    I don'it knowww I know I haaaave een and learned and parrticipated iiin Nursing Issues in Hospice hubby says why not get my paay
    Quote from SMK1
    no one has said that med aides are "bad people", the issue is safety. Let's put it this way, when you go into the doctors office for common complaints, probably 75% of the time the RN could figure out what is wrong and know which drug needs to be used to treat the problem. This would be the case for patients with a normal presentation and hx. But what about the zebra? the person with atypical symptoms or multiple systems in stages of disease? to recognize, diagnose and treat people with abnormal presentations youwill most likely need a physician or an NP/PA. It is the same concept with medication administration. Most people can read correctly and follow directions to physically give the medication, but what about symptoms and recognizing problems that could be occuring when the patient has multiple medications? What about signs that the med is not working or is possibly causing an allergic response, etc... Now imagine knowing the risks involved with giving medications and knowing you are now responsible for another person giving meds under your license? I am not a nurse yet but, I know first hand how dangerous it can be for someone not truly qualified to take on this responsibility. It isn't about someone being a better, more honest person, it's about someone being more qualified for the job by virtue of education.
  2. May 31, '05 by
    Quote from SmilingBluEyes
    ummm what was that?
    I think tx is saying that her experience as a med aide is doable and she gets respect from her hubby for it, who's an LPN. She studies a PDR and learns by trial and error; looking and watching; and talking with patients.

    I think she's saying CMA's will do fine if they do what she does.

    :stone
  3. May 31, '05 by
    Could it be....bear with me here, but could it be that some of the problem with nursing's image is that some folk who are in healthcare related fields but are not necessarily nurses present themselves to patient's and family's as such and leave an impression of less than the stellar professionalism and solid nursing knowledge that we know licensed professional nurses behold.

    What I'm reading a lot of in these threads about Medication Aides is that many of the CMA's are referring to themselves as "nurses" and stating that they perform nursing functions which technically by law are not within their scope.

    Do they introduce themselves to patient's and their family members as nurses? With the number of people in scrubs that patients are exposed to every day, how would they know who is a nurse and who isn't? I'm sure there are numerous patients who think that the med aide is a nurse. #1) I personally would NOT want txmustang to accidently represent me, a licensed RN.

    How is nursing representated exactly? Does anyone get my point. It's not meant to be derogatory toward any one person, but I have to believe that this has some impact.

    Anyway, just a thought....
    Last edit by begalli on May 31, '05
  4. Jun 1, '05 by
    Exactly.
  5. Jun 1, '05 by
    I just finished my last shift as a CMT hours ago. Although I had already planned to step down from the position when I was with my old company, our facility recently changed hands and I'm REALLY glad I'm not going to be a med tech anymore.
    The new company does train and test its med techs more extensively than the old one did, but the med techs will have a LOT more responsibility. You see, all I did was pass meds (mostly pills), fax refill orders to the pharmacy, and act as shift supervisor (not much to supervise at night, though). It wasn't that difficult a job at the time.
    The new company will have the med techs passing medications AND: doing wound care, testing blood glucose, documenting in progress and skin care notes, communicating directly with doctors about residents, delegating work and supervising staff, taking charge and using critical thinking in emergencies, etc. They will NOT do any caregiving duties. (At least the home health nurses will still be giving injections. Whew!)
    I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable with that level of responsibility. As it is, they're turning the med techs into staff nurses. My boss esssentially acts as a nurse manager/on-call nurse. Some of my coworkers seem confused about my decision--they wonder why I'm getting nervous over nothing. Early this morning I refused to do blood sugars and told my coworker that since she had the training to do it and I didn't, I wanted her to do it. She seemed irritated and told me it wasn't hard; you just stick the person's finger and get some blood on a strip so the machine can read it. I still refused to do it. I was always told not to stick people. Period. Due to liability issues, the old company refused to allow us to test blood glucose. But the new company expects their med techs to take them.
    I don't know; am I being unreasonable? I feel good about stepping down from my med tech duties, but it's hard not having much support at work. People think I'm doing this because I'm crazy, lazy, or because I lack backbone, self-confidence or ambition. Not the case at all. I just didn't feel comfortable stepping into a nurse's shoes after only four days' training.
    Batman24 likes this.
  6. Jun 1, '05 by
    Quote from begalli
    Could it be....bear with me here, but could it be that some of the problem with nursing's image is that some folk who are in healthcare related fields but are not necessarily nurses present themselves to patient's and family's as such and leave an impression of less than the stellar professionalism and solid nursing knowledge that we know licensed professional nurses behold.

    What I'm reading a lot of in these threads about Medication Aides is that many of the CMA's are referring to themselves as "nurses" and stating that they perform nursing functions which technically by law are not within their scope.

    Do they introduce themselves to patient's and their family members as nurses? With the number of people in scrubs that patients are exposed to every day, how would they know who is a nurse and who isn't? I'm sure there are numerous patients who think that the med aide is a nurse. #1) I personally would NOT want txmustang to accidently represent me, a licensed RN.

    How is nursing representated exactly? Does anyone get my point. It's not meant to be derogatory toward any one person, but I have to believe that this has some impact.

    Anyway, just a thought....
    Took the words out of my mouth It's what bothers me most about this issue; we have non-nurses giving the general public an inaccurate impression of nursing. Most patients and family members just see a person in scrubs; they don't see the initials on the badge or even know what those initials mean. The profession of nursing isn't respected enough by the general public as it is -- most people don't know what nurses really do. For the most part, all they see on TV is jokes about bedpans and sponge baths. It doesn't help us when a minimally educated and/or inarticulate person in scrubs walks into the room and hands the patient pills. I'M NOT SAYING THAT ALL CMAs/CMTs ARE INARTICULATE OR IGNORANT. I know many are intelligent and take their jobs seriously (especially the ones who are currently in nursing school). What really bothers me is the attitude that passing pills is "not brain surgery." The profession of nursing has enough of an image problem as it is. Even if these CMTs/CMAs aren't claiming to be nurses, odds are most patients and their families are assuming that's what they are. What kind of impression is that making?

    Nurse posers are a big pet peeve of mine. Once, on my old critical care unit, a family member was overheard asking a PCT what a tech was. The PCT responded that she did everything the nurses did except give meds. I think part of the problem is that people don't know what they don't know. This particular PCT had been "in nursing" (as a tech) for 20 years and was "in nursing school" (taking pre-nursing courses). It was apparent to anyone who talked to her that she wasn't the brightest person in the world. Yet she believed that she was just as knowledgeable and competent as a nurse, and she encouraged others to believe it.

    Ok, end of rant
    Last edit by HillaryC on Jun 2, '05
  7. Jun 1, '05 by
    Quote from txmustang
    I don'it knowww I know I haaaave een and learned and parrticipated iiin Nursing Issues in Hospice hubby says why not get my paay
    What???!!!??
  8. Jun 27, '05 by
    I can see both sides of this disscustion. I am a CNA and I am thinking of becoming a CMA. I dont see anything wrong with it .... when it comes to me. I have a lot of experience with giving meds. I was going to school to become a pharmacist but, Im just too old. I read my drug book like its my Bible. I was a nursing student. I took a break from school to work and move to a new state. I know my stuff. I know what to look for when giving meds. If, I dont know, I look it up...just like normal people do. On the other hand, I can see where a RN would not want someone with no formal training or experience to pass meds under their license. Most CNA's cant even give a thorough bed bath let alone try to pass meds. I hate to say that. Im sorry but, it was just an example. Maybe if there was more training ,involved the nurses would feel more secure?

    I have a question to the RN's. Is it your license that you are worried about? or is it the patient's safety?
    Last edit by teapoochie on Jun 27, '05 : Reason: not finished
  9. Jun 27, '05 by
    Quote from teapoochie
    I
    I have a question to the RN's. Is it your license that you are worried about? or is it the patient's safety?
    both, as you can see from the numerous posts that express concern about the issue of CMAs/CMT's.
  10. Jun 27, '05 by
    I would be more than happy to adjust if the training were adequate to handle a important job such as handing out medications. In Texas, I know the CMA's I work with went 4-5 hours a day ,2 days a week x 3 months. Then they go to clinicals ,which is a whoppin 10 hours. Big deal, most of that time of figuring out how to open the med cart or just pure med cart orientation. I'll never forget one student I was working with that was looking for the Vicoden in the routine meds and the Colace in the Narc box. I just laughed and laughed, of course after she left.


    Quote from magenta
    What do you mean about back ground, Being a CMA, is still going to school and learning, I am a CNA right this second and that doesnt make me unapropreaite, these are'nt people that they just grab off the street. The way i see it is that The RN's are afraid of someone trying to take their jobs, Being an RN these days is so much paper work that they dont have alot of connection with patients, and people that go into being a CMA still have the connection that they had as a CNA, thats why they want to be a CNA the conection, do you honestly think that hosp,or LTC facilities would have a person passing druggs if they had'nt been schooled for it? But you have your thoughts about it and your minds made up, Just dont close the door to any adjusting.