Do you all think med aides are bad idea?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Im an LPN @ a LCF we were just informed we will be training several of our STNA's into Med techs, All us nurses here are very concerned that our licenses could be on the line and are scared for the well being of our patients, if any of you have any experiences or comments on this to maybe give us insight into the situation it would be great, thank you

Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.

A strong relationship with a med aide, or a med tech can make for very good care. I work in an LTC that has 40 AL beds on one wing. The day shift med tech on that unit is superior to many nurses that I have worked with. She knows her job, her scope of practice, she does superior charting, handles all appointments and sets up transportation, does her treatments very well, and is quick to report any out of limit conditions.

She is as professional as her scope of practice permits. I wish all the med techs were like her. That being said, there are a great many nurses who cannot live up to her performance.

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Specializes in SICU.

Great idea. Leaves nurses time for assessments.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

In Maryland we have Certified Medicine Aides and Certified Medicine Technicians. CMA's are used in LTC facilities (and I don't really see a bunch of nursing homes in my area utilizing them, but that's just my limited observation), and in order to take the Med.Aide course, they have to be currently employed at a facility & have worked as a Geriatric Nursing Assistant, full-time for at least 2 years. And then, I think the DON has to recommend them for the course. It is a 60-hour course offered at various community colleges. I do not know what the course entails though. I assume that they learn pharmacology..maybe not as much as we learn(ed) in nursing school, but I would assume that they have a basic understanding of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics,etc..

Certified Med. Tech's are used in ALF facilities..now these..I would be a little leery of. The course can be taken in about 4 hours. It's not as detailed as the Med.Aide course. My ALF used to use Med. Tech's, but they made a LOT of med errors..some were even stealing the resident's medications. So the facility stopped using them and hired more LPN's. Like a previous poster mentioned..bottom line its about money. A CMA probably makes about $16-18/hr ..but an LPN or RN would require $24+..and a med tech probably makes $10-12/hr. Again..nurses cost more money. That is why many doctors offices do not hire LPNs or RNs and use Medical Assistants..

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Specializes in Telemetry, Orthop/Surg, ER,StepDown.

I was petrified of the idea at first. Where I work, the med techs are all registered nurses in other parts of the world, waiting to take their boards here. They are open and come to me with any and every question and we work closely together, so while I don't pass the meds, through getting informed with reading md progress notes from dr. visits and keeping up to date with the meds for lab draw purposes. having said that, some of them have moved on now that they passed their boards, so the replacements have been students I had for clinicals and i am allowed by my ED to spend more time than the required laughable ten hours of training. To me that is abhorrent! so i do the required California curriculumn, and then before they are let on the floor they spend three shifts a week for a month working with my lead tech, as well receiving booklets I've prepared that deal with the differing diseases and their usual meds and what to look for..a condensed pharm class and they are tested, and one has been taken off the schedule because she was just to young for the position but has potential, so I have her working as a PCA and one day a week she is helping to redo the self administration program and documentation.

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

Whenever using a med tech, I would assess for pain, and vitals...BP in all my patients I meant ALL before allowing anything to be given... Sorry... New nurse... I would then pour the meds and let them admin it... I would med pass 20 people in30 minutes! me pouring and they giving....

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Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.
Whenever using a med tech, I would assess for pain, and vitals...BP in all my patients I meant ALL before allowing anything to be given... Sorry... New nurse... I would then pour the meds and let them admin it... I would med pass 20 people in30 minutes! me pouring and they giving....

I am not sure where you live, but where I live, it is against the policy of the BON, and facility policy for anyone, and I mean anyone to administer a medication that they have not personally poured. If I didn't trust my med techs to give meds I certainly wouldn't

trust them to see that the medications were all taken completely and correctly. But as for my med techs, I do trust them because they have all demonstrated a skill level which provides optimal care.

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Specializes in LTC.

Our med techs know more pharmacology than I do--can instanly tell you about whatever obscure med just got prescribed. They are amazing. That said, take each person and evaluate their skills--not all people are the same!

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