Should medication aides exist?

A sad state of affairs for people of the state of WA. Only a matter of time until the next state lowers its standards. Feel for you.

I work with medication aides - sometimes they are assigned as shift leaders when a nurse is on staff. This happened to me last week - I was assigned nurse aide duty on third shift. The facility DON, who is also a med tech, assigned a med tech as shift leader instead of reassigning me the responsibility.

I am considering leaving for another assisted living facility that has respect for nurse licenses.

Are you saying that the DON is not a nurse, but a med tech? Heck, I would be afraid as well...

Yes
I do not know if privately owned Personal Care Homes can operate under the beat of a different drum. They only started hiring LPN's five years ago.

I do not mind medication techs working in personal care or nursing home facilities. However, they should not be in charge of RN's or LPN's.

Please tell me you're joking. The DON is a MED TECH?!?!? And you, an LPN, were assigned nursing assistant duties because a med tech was assigned as shift leader? Get out of there NOW. This sounds so unprofessional---and possibly illegal. You also might want to check your state's nurse practice act to see if this practice is even legal---and call your state BON with your concerns.

I agree with other posters that it is a travesty that unlicensed personnel are permitted to give medications in some facilities, especially LTC. Our elders deserve better. However, I can't say that a licensed nurse is necessarily safe---not when nurse:resident ratios in many LTC facilities are so high. 30 residents for one nurse on a day or evening shift is simply not safe---especially when so many LTC residents are very ill.

None of this will change until staffing ratios are mandated. Maybe we loudmouthed Baby Boomers will be outraged enough when we hit nursing home age that we will demand changes. Not holding my breath, however...

Are medication aides required to take pharm classes? Are they required to know the side effects and contraindications of the medications that they are passing? Are they aware of patient history and allergies?

No, no, and no to all three questions.

The med techs take a brief course designed to train them to safely pass medications. They must renew every two years. This is not a pharmacology course. Other than a brief demographics sheet listing medications and known diagnoses for each resident, no one has access to resident records except administration. We do have access to medication paperback books. All three shifts do have nursing personnel on duty with a few med techs working alongside the nurses.

My concern was when another nurse called in sick, she was replaced as shift leader by a med tech while I was assigned patient aide duty. Responsibility for patient safety is on my shoulders as a licensed nurse whether I'm assigned as shift leader or patient aide.

Well.

Why don't we ask the patient if they are willing to take medications from an "aide" instead of a trained, licensed individual.

What do you think the answer is going to be?

Tennessee just passed legislation to allow certified medication technicians. You can see the bill here with the requirements to become a medication aide as well as the scope of practice.

I am very much opposed to this. My dad was in an ALF in FL that had medication aides. He was not given his BP meds for almost a week because they "ran out". He provided his own meds from a mail delivery pharmacy because of his insurance. He was also on dialysis. Who knows how many meds he actually missed. But they were not worried. I had to arrange to get his meds from a local pharmacy until his mail order supply arrived. Oh.......and they lost a large amount of his medication that he brought with him from home when he was admitted.

I know there is a nursing shortage, but..............

I'm a CNA and we have a med tech on every shift. I can't count the times I've walked into a room to see meds sitting on a bedside table or had a med tech say "so-and-so was asleep when I went in so give them their meds when you go in there". and then I have to get the nurse because no way am I administering pills to anyone until I get my RN liscense!
I think overall it's a huge liability- the administrators are giving nursing duties to the techs and then they try to pass off those responsabilities to the aides. I don't think most techs see passing meds as this huge deal- mainly because after a 1 semester class they were able to do it!
I just personally think it's not the best idea.