Medication Nurse Assistants

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Hi everyone. I just found out that an MNA will be working on our 50 bed LTC unit:eek: ! Has anyone worked with an MNA? I'm a new LPN, just got used to passing meds to 25 pts, and am really on the fence about this. On one hand, I'm disgusted that I spent 13 G's obtaining my LPN, and struggled through a tough Pharmacology course :angryfire . On the other, maybe this will be a help. I really like working alone on my side. I keep people(LNAs, residents, visitors) around my cart at a mininum, cause I find it distracting. Am I going to be constantly bumping into the MNA? How does it work? BTW, there has been NO mention of an orientation for the nurses in regards to this. Oh, and the MNA will be earning 3 dollars an hour more than I do. Hmmm. any feedback will be welcome:) .

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

I have alot of issues regarding this topic...unlicensed personnel passing meds. This sort of demeans our profession and belittles the importance of having quality health care providers. Having a License is our way to ensure public trust that we have received the expected (quality and quantity) level of training and take patient care seriously. Passing meds is NOT flipping burgers.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

:yeahthat:

MNA will be earning 3 dollars an hour more than I do

Is that salary posted or rummor mill? If posted as starting salary, would apply for the job!

Otherwise, I'd be in the office questioning why licensed professional with more education AND higher responsibilities re patient care, patient assessments, physician orders, documenting care to satisfy regs/surveyors is receiving lesser pay.

Licensure ensures minimum competence and patient safety protection as license can be revoked thus protecting citizens from incompetent/unsafe practitioners. No such protection with unlicensed assistive personnel.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Karen, as usual, says it best here.

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:yeahthat:

Is that salary posted or rummor mill? If posted as starting salary, would apply for the job!

Otherwise, I'd be in the office questioning why licensed professional with more education AND higher responsibilities re patient care, patient assessments, physician orders, documenting care to satisfy regs/surveyors is receiving lesser pay.

Licensure ensures minimum competence and patient safety protection as license can be revoked thus protecting citizens from incompetent/unsafe practitioners. No such protection with unlicensed assistive personnel.

Hi - It's posted, but, she or he is per diem, hence the three dollars more. It is just sad that we work this hard, just to have someone with 20 HOURS of training take the well-being of our patients into their incapable hands. MNA's don't know how to assess, why we assess. They're just told to give the meds as ordered. Holy C@#p. I'll keep ya posted.

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Hi - It's posted, but, she or he is per diem, hence the three dollars more. It is just sad that we work this hard, just to have someone with 20 HOURS of training take the well-being of our patients into their incapable hands. MNA's don't know how to assess, why we assess. They're just told to give the meds as ordered. Holy C@#p. I'll keep ya posted.

This trend for "training" unlicensed personnel to perform tasks that have been done by nurses causes me great concern. The facility I currently work for once had unlicensed personnel performing such tasks as NG insertion, catheter insertion, and trach care. Currently they are no longer allowed to perform these tasks, why? Probably because of situations and problems associated with inadequate training and lack of assessment skills. The problem this has left is now disgruntled staff who now blame the b!%

20 hours of training to administer medication for the purpose of just following orders without question. Bad idea. Sorry but the track record at my facility for having unlicensed personnel performing tasks that fall under nursing skills is poor, not to mention the problems it has created between staff.

Licensure ensures minimum competence and patient safety protection as license can be revoked thus protecting citizens from incompetent/unsafe practitioners. No such protection with unlicensed assistive personnel.

I have alot of issues regarding this topic...unlicensed personnel passing meds. This sort of demeans our profession and belittles the importance of having quality health care providers. Having a License is our way to ensure public trust that we have received the expected (quality and quantity) level of training and take patient care seriously. Passing meds is NOT flipping burgers.

Absolutely NRSKaren and Thunderwolf. The problem with unlicensed personnel is when the boundaries become blurred. It is a safety issue. The act of medication administration is alot more than handing a patient pills and a glass of water. This also confuses the public even more about who their nurse is when they are in hospital.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I am fortunate that in the state of Illinois, this bill was recently defeated and we do not have unlicensed assistive personnel passing medications.

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Specializes in Child/Adolescent Mental Health.
Hi - It's posted, but, she or he is per diem, hence the three dollars more. It is just sad that we work this hard, just to have someone with 20 HOURS of training take the well-being of our patients into their incapable hands. MNA's don't know how to assess, why we assess. They're just told to give the meds as ordered. Holy C@#p. I'll keep ya posted.

OK...this is really scary:no:

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Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.

question...do these MNA's work on your liscence? Our instructors told us that PCAs or CNA's are essentially working on your lisence and you are ultimately responsible if something were to happen to your pt. while they were providing care...I am wondering is it the same for these MNA's? If so, I definetly wouldn't be comfortable with that....

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question...do these MNA's work on your liscence? Our instructors told us that PCAs or CNA's are essentially working on your lisence and you are ultimately responsible if something were to happen to your pt. while they were providing care...I am wondering is it the same for these MNA's? If so, I definetly wouldn't be comfortable with that....

Yes. It would be covered under delegation.

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Here in KY we call them CMA certified medication aide and before I became an lpn i was one. Here you go threw a pharmacology class that is almost as much as the lpn goes threw. Don't put them down to you know who they are I far as the pay that is a bit different. I would fuss awhole lot in the DON place. Hope you do alright with her.

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HI

I have a question, are you in an assisted living facility and having a MNA? In the facility I work in we had an assisted living floor that was seperate from the skilled floor and I was a med-tech on that floor for 3 years. The experience I gained from that was terrific towards my nursing career, as I am finishing up my last pre-req's to start nursing program Sept. 06.

Anyway, when I was a med-tech if we had a med error we handled the paperwork, notifying family, the DON, administrator ect...... If something came up that we needed help with then we called the B hall nurse from downstairs, we also had a clinical care coordinator who overseen what we were doing as med techs. When state came in they went around with us during med pass, watched us give meds, eyedrops, inhalers, ect......

Anyway, at the facility I worked at they were only allowed to have med techs on the assisted living floor, you had to be a LPN or RN to work on the skilled floor.

Theresa

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