Medication Certification for CNA

[RubicsCube]

Future nursing student here. But for now, I'm just starting a CNA program. The school offers a separate one-day Med Tech certification class you can take after completing the CNA program. Two questions:

Does having the med tech credential make you more marketable from a job search perspective?

Do med tech's pass out medicine in addition to other CNA duties, or is it a stand alone job?

Thanks!

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Well, it will make you marketable for a med tech position. Facilities that don't use med techs, I'm not sure they'd care one way or the other.

In my limited experience with med techs (full disclosure: I'm not a fan of the position), the assigned med tech for the shift will not be given a patient assignment like the rest of the CNAs on duty. However, they will be expected to help with direct care as appropriate, just as a nurse would be.

[seanynjboy, BSN]

Brandon, you took the worlds right out of my mouth...

If you are going to nursing school later on you will also learn stuff about med administration that they usually teach in semester 1 of nursing school. Proper usage of NG tubes and stuff like that...it will give you a small leg up.

Also it looks better on a resume or application to show you have experience.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I am in Texas, where CNAs with medication certification are referred to as certified medication aides. They typically secure employment in SNF, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and group homes, and are assigned to a group of patients.

They've strictly passed medications at the facilities where I've worked, but once the medication pass is complete, they are expected to answer call lights as time permits.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

The med administration class is ONE DAY??

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The med administration class is ONE DAY??

Here in TX it is four months long, but other states seem to have extremely relaxed standards for training medication aides/techs.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

OMG, so grateful I am not faced with this issue in my practice.