medication aids

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I am a LPN , and work in a nursing home. They are now wanting medication aids (cna's) to do some medications and cut out LPN's.. Also we have assisted living where the patients fall, send to the ER, and are under medicaid nursing,, What are the LPN's needed for...Help its like we are being weeded out.

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They are using medication aides in my state. The rules are very specific regarding what they can and cannot do. They only pass pills, they don't do any treatments or mess with tubes and such. No narcotics either. This is leaving the LPNs more time to be with their patients, to actually go back and assess prn meds, and is cutting down on med errors since they are not being distracted during med passes.

I don't think they're weeding out the LPNs, I think they're giving them a little help.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Surgical-Ortho.

Here here... you nursing home nurses need all the help you can get from what I have observed. At the facility I PRN at the QMAs (Indiana calls them Qualified Medication Aides) usually work as aides, and jump in when needed. They seem to be very useful when a patient is is distress and the one nurse for 30 residents is busy busy busy.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

My previous workplace once staffed a particular unit with 4 licensed nurses (RNs or LVNs) for 80 residents at a LTC. This was before the facility started using medication aides.

This place now staffs the same unit with only 2 licensed nurses and 1 medication aide. This facility is now saving big money through reduced salary and benefit expenses by ridding nurses from its payroll, only to replace them with medication aides.

This might be the scary wave of the future. My job might be in jeopardy!

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I don't like it. I think instead of hiring more qualified staff, they're hiring more people to 'help' and the more people information has to go through, the sketchier the information is and the more the accountable person gets blamed. I'm in a hospital but frequently we have an LPN that passes meds, but the RN reports off to next shift, and this occurs: "why didn't you tell me such-and-so had this at this time? I saw they were given tylenol, but when I got on shift their pain was so bad they were crying." "I didn't even know they were in pain, it wasn't reported to me." Plus, as someone mentioned, frequently they don't only add less-paid staff, they take away higher paid staff.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

there have been several previous posts about this. my personal opinion is that medication aides are here to stay. it wasn't all that long ago that lpns/lvns couldn't give medications either. now, it's expected of them in every state as part of their licensed responsibility. times and circumstances change. with us baby boomers hitting the healthcare system for service and the shortage of nurses i imagine medication aides won't be the only changes we'll see.

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Specializes in nursing homes, assisted living.

I had been a medication aid in Washingtom state, have been for 3 years. I currently give narcs, routine meds, i do treatments i hve been delegated for, i to O2 treatments. i understand the facilities wanting med aides instead of LPN cus of the pay. i'm now a LPN at an assisted living facility so i also now have to look out for those med aides taking over.

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.

You left one out Daytonite. Should Medication Aides Exist?

The phasing out of LPN's is another negative aspect of the medication aide crisis. I cannot understand how any nurse could ever support such a practice (unless they are in mgmt and stand to make a bonus from the unsafe practice). The staggering number of med errors committed by actual fully trained nurses every year should shine floodlights on the complete absurdity of having people with 4 days of training performing these same "nursing" skills.

There is absolutely no way to support this practice and be a patient advocate. No way at all, period!:)

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