Do you all think med aides are bad idea?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2010

I've been working with medication aides for more than four years and I love them. As a floor nurse in LTC, so much of my time is freed up when I am not stuck with having to pass pills and eye drops to 30+ residents. I actually have ample time to chart, assess, deal with emergencies, handle family complaints, supervise aides, talk with pharmacy, complete the required paperwork, follow up with issues, and have good conversations with residents that last a little longer than, "Here's your morning medicine."

Medication aides enable the facility, in my humble opinion, to make the best use of licensed nursing time.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2010

I have a friend who became a certified Med Aid at age 20 (she is 39 now) and is still working as a med aid and loves what she does. Considering she's been doing it for almost 20 years.. I'd say she's pretty darn good at it too.

I think when something 'new' comes along it's natural to be scared... but med aids have been quite successful around here for a very long time.

pielęgniarka, RN · Oct 6, 2010

Well....It all depends on how the med aide is utilized. At the place I work at, a med aide can only pass oral pills (and not even any controlled meds) and take vital signs. That leaves all the narcotics, treatments, tube feedings, dressing changes, trach care, injections, PRN's etc for the nurses to do. When we have a med aide we don't have an extra nurse. So instead of having our usual 3 nurses, we would have 2 nurses and a med aid. So... those 2 nurses have to do all the med aid's charting, treatments etc on top of their own duties, it actually increases our workload. However I love the med aids we have, they do a good job, it's better than being without someone at all to pass pills!

SweettartRN · Oct 6, 2010

I think med aides are just a bad idea all around.

They do not have the pharmacology training, most of them are hired right in off the street, and I don't want anyone doing that under my license that has nothing to lose.

just my $0.02

Schmoo1022 · Oct 6, 2010

We have med aides, and I trust the two have. They have both been with me a long time and always question when something seems off. They only pass p.o. meds, eye drops+ear drops . They do not pass narcotics or do finger sticks at my facility. They are certified in my area and the class is three months long. They have to be chosen by the facility to take the Med Tech course. You can't just sign up for the course in my state. You have to be employed by a nursing facility. I am not sure it is the same in every state though.

KarmaWiseRaven · Oct 6, 2010

SweettartLPN

You are missimformed about Med Aids and Med Techs. I was one before i became a LPN. And we did everything even passed narcs and charted in the Mar. As far as being pulled off the street. Wrong again in my state you had to be an Aid for a yr then your DON could apply for you to go to Med Tech School. And if you think your DON just says your going to Med School Heck no as an Aid you have to bust your orifice and prove to the Admin and the DON and your Nurses that you can take on the task of Being a Med Tech your just not off the streets. As far as Pharm goes we know just as much or even more then a LPN. It's our job to know and to know about new drugs coming out on to the market many times i had LPN's even RN's ask about a certain medication kinda made me feel special in a way. Matter of fact I'll just tell you this one story that happen to me then you can tell me if Med Techs are worth having. We had this man he was having on going chest pains and he kept on complaining. The Nurses even the DON were trying to figure out why was he hurting so bad. We even shipped him out to the DR's they couldn't find why. Then one day he starts complaining to me his chest hurts i call the nurse and she says to him there's nothing we can do you've been to the dr they say there's nothing wrong. So I'm reading the Mar charting my Meds and I'm looking somethings not right. I'm reading all of this guys Meds and I'm looking and looking and wham it hits me. So i leave my DON a Note. This person is on Lasixs and I'm not a DR or a Nurse but where is his Potassium? It was never put back on the Mar. The persons problem and his chest pain was caused by Low Potassium. That being said now we may not do wound care or feeding tubes or asses people or do IV's. Also most of us pull double duty because we are CNA's and sometimes we do aid if the aids are short staffed. I recent your comment and as far as your License goes it would fall under the DON and Admin not yours. Sad to think you have never been in the trenches like the rest of us because if you were you would never made that comment we are a team everyone from the aids to the Med Aids / Med Techs and Nurses there's no room for Egos in nursing. These are my thoughts use them as you wish

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 6, 2010

Karmawise...be careful before you make blanket statements and say someone is wrong. Each state has different criteria for Med Techs and some (like Massachusetts) do not allow them at all. It is one thing to state something here to try to be helpful, but you couldn't possibly know the regs for all 50 (or if you're Obama 57) states.

pielęgniarka, RN · Oct 7, 2010

Karmawise...be careful before you make blanket statements and say someone is wrong. Each state has different criteria for Med Techs and some (like Massachusetts) do not allow them at all. It is one thing to state something here to try to be helpful, but you couldn't possibly know the regs for all 50 (or if you're Obama 57) states.

How long before we get Obama-isms? I don't think it could ever top Bushisms!!! My favorite...

"There's an old saying in Tennessee-I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee-that says, fool me once, shame on-shame on you. Fool me-you can't get fooled again." -George Bush. :lol2:

But yes, each state has different regulations and then each facility has different policies in regards to medication techs so it's going to be different wherever a person goes.

NurseKatie08, MSN · Oct 7, 2010

As CCM mentions, Massachusetts (my state) doesn't allow med techs. No offense intended to those who work as med techs, but I'm glad we don't allow it. Licensure aside, I don't like the idea of not knowing the whole picture about my patient, and I feel like if someone else was giving my PO meds I wouldn't have the whole picture. Passing meds is part of what we learn in nursing school, and while I'm busy at work, I don't feel too rushed/busy to pass meds. Then again, while I work in a LTC facility, I work strictly on a subacute floor with a ratio of 9:1, so perhaps that's why I can't see med techs fitting in on my unit. It's quite a bit different than LTC. Just my :twocents:

KarmaWiseRaven · Oct 10, 2010

Karmawise...be careful before you make blanket statements and say someone is wrong. Each state has different criteria for Med Techs and some (like Massachusetts) do not allow them at all. It is one thing to state something here to try to be helpful, but you couldn't possibly know the regs for all 50 (or if you're Obama 57) states.

Oct 06, 2010 10:08 AM SweettartLPN Re: Do you all think med aides are bad idea?

I think med aides are just a bad idea all around.

They do not have the pharmacology training, most of them are hired right in off the street, and I don't want anyone doing that under my license that has nothing to lose.

just my $0.02

First off blanket statement? Where did i do that? I was stating fact. She made a statement did you read it. I was just correcting her and giving her fact what i use to do as a Med Tech in my state. No i don't know all the criteria of all 50 states or 57 states as you say ( Good Thing I'm Not Political) on Med Techs. What i do know is i was a Med Tech before i was a LPN and really I'm glad i was. During LPN School i got to challenge a lot of things like Pharm that she stated we didn't have. And she was correct. I had More then a LPN. She stated most were hired off the streets. Again i stated No i had to be an CNA for a yr or more before your even asked. I didn't have to get a insulin Cirt in school because i already had my Cirt. I didn't have to go through A/P i was allowed to challenge really all i could say is i had to basically show up for Clinical's. ( Round About Way ) That nurse said Not Under Her License. That is not a correct statement either it would fall under the Nursing Home, Admin. and DON, not some LPN. Also i was showing what effect Med Techs can be in LTC Home Health and RCF ( Assisted Living). And as far as having nothing to lose as she stated what is she crazy? We have just as much to lose then anyone else. True CNAs / Med Techs have Cirts and not a License but a Jail Cell is a Jail Cell. So wheres the blanket statement again because i can't find it please point it out to me ty. And as far as i saying her not being in the trenches well her statement tells me she's a new nurse and has really no clue i bet has never even been an Aid let alone anything else. That right there might be a blanket statement but i bet it's true. These are my thoughts use them as you wish...

NiquiCNA · Oct 11, 2010

as a CNA.. worked with several med techs.. seen it done, generally a bad idea. All it takes is a few hours here in SC and you got CNAs passing pills. SCARY concept. If they were trained, I'd agree.. but 8 hours does NOT make someone capable of passing medications.