medication aide

[missyrine]

Im a CNA and im also in pre-nursing..

I know there is a lot of talk about how nurses HATE medication aides so don't slam me with that please..

I am enrolled in a med aide course starting in march and Im really excited about all the information I will be learning. I feel like I will learn just the tip of the pharmacology iceberg along with conversions and about certain meds and reactions, side effects and all of that.

What meds do medication aides help pass??? Do they do injections? What is a normal shift of being a medication aide like?

Another reason for taking this class is so I can have it on my application to nursing school, along with being an CNA and have taken basic arrhythmia. I really just want a head start with meds. thats really all.

I feel like the more I learn now the easier nursing school will be.

Thanks for your thoughts (in advance)

[PocketSize, BSN, RN]

I got promoted to CMT a month after my first CNA Job in LCT. I've only worked in one other facility and the one I work at now. At the old one, the CMT drew everything from bottled medication or bubble packs. The mission is simple: hand out the right meds to the right person at the right time. At this new place it's quite nice cuz the pharmacy delivers meds only needed for each person that day. I deal with a lot of anxiety meds and hypertension drugs, Metropolol etc. I've done suppositories, inhalers, nebulizers. At the old place, we had a diabetic resident who got her insulin pen and we dressed wounds. At the new place, I have more restrictions I only do meds and get samples. The nurses dress and change wounds and do insulin. In one aspect, I liked the independence at the old place- I did a lot more medication wise so I felt important and was constantly practicing t skills. At this new place, I have less freedom but also less liability, which is nice.

However, I have more responsibility management wise because the CMT is responsible for reordering meds and following up with the pharmacy. That really scares me!

The good thing about this new place is I have full benefits if I want them, PTO and tuition assistance :) the bad thing is I don't enjoy it as much as the other because there's less resident interaction and less togetherness with co workers (right now I'm responsible for about 38 and before I only had 12) oh well.. I'm a pre-nursing student as well