Nursing Issue - Medication Aides

Nurses Safety

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Hi. I am new to the post. Very shortly a bill will be presented to our legislation on Medication Aides for my state. I am looking for some feedback regarding these aides. I know other programs have been implemented in many other states. How is it working? What are the current problems? Where can I go to find out more information?

In my state they will be mandatory in non-health focused care settings such as: schools, prison, assisted living, daycares, and group homes. The health focused areas are: long term care facilities, rehab centers, home health, hospice, public health depts., clinics, and acute care settings. However, some say it optional for health care facilities. The training is 24 hours. I feel this is very dangerous. It is being implemented to help alleviate some of the nursing shortage we will experience in the near future. Plus, a lot of these med aides already work in some of these facilities and there has never been any formal training. How they were hired is beyond me, but now there is a need to train these individuals. The only requirement to date is: 21 years old and a high school graduate. No prior medical experience. Scary!!!

I am looking for information on how programs of this type are working in other areas? Any problems experienced with the program? Is there an increase in med errors? Where I can go to gather more information?

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
After reading most of these posts I REALLY feel the need to vent. I understand that you nurses have worked long and hard to get to where you are at and correct me if im wrong but it seems to me you think some "dimwit" is coming in to take over your job or something. NOT THE CASE!!!! I am a CNA/CMT i have been in geriatrics for six years now. I live in the state of Missouri i have worked as a charge nurse with a lpn over me in the building. My job consist of passing meds, giving insulin, charting, vital signs, and treatments. Also I am phlebotomy certified so i am able to draw blood. I took approx 84 hr's of training however, I was certified in the state of Nebraska as well and took training there as well. I am also able to give meds thru a feeding tube and take dr's orders, transcribe however, my facility doesnt wish to allow that which is fine with me. I have to say I do believe that some of our med tech's that have been working for years and years are more realible to go to then the nurse. Dont get me wrong im not saying every nurse, I'm just saying some of those nurses we work with. We have alot of responsibility on our hands and we take our job very seriously some of us havent gone to school b/c we cant afford to. Look at the difference a 300.00 dollar class verus 7000.00 and up to get your lpn. I am glad i got the oppurtunity to become a cmt b/c that is going to give me a heads up to what nursing intells. Oh, I forgot to mention the other req. to getting your cmt in the state of Mo. You MUST be a CNA for at least a year, have your hs dipoma or GED. Also you have to take a extra class to be able to take blood sugars and give insulin. I'm sorry to step on anyones toes but please take a minute and understand we our trained, we DO ask questions from our superviser and in the time i've been doing meds i made one med error which almost everyone as be it a cmt/lpn/rn. I was in charge of two different units one icf kind of setting and 2 rcf and i didnt know there was a scheduled 12am carva/leva. when i found out @ 3am i told my charge nurse did the responsible thing and wrote myself up for a med error.

You can only be a charge nurse if you are an RN or an LPN.

And, no, i'm am never going to understand how a CMT is allowed to take doctor's orders.

Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.
You can only be a charge nurse if you are an RN or an LPN.

And, no, i'm am never going to understand how a CMT is allowed to take doctor's orders.

I'm hoping tiffanycmt will clarify what she meant by those two statements. I doubt she takes doctor's orders in the sense that an RN/LPN does, ie. telephone orders, but rather she can note and transcribe orders onto the MAR. (It sounds like the facility she works in doesn't allow that, though.)

As far as the "nurse" statement, I'm willing to bet she means she is charge, but not charge nurse, as she stated she worked under the LPN. I think some are taking things out of context, getting stuck on sematics and not reading the entire post.

I'll clear the confusion up for you-- for Tiffany. Tiffany and I work together in the same LTF. We have an area called SCU- special care unit for alzheimer residents. A CMT is able to work in the unit as a "charge nurse". Of course there is Lpn's and Rn's on our shift that she would have to go to for the things that she isn't able to do, and the licensed nursing staff makes their rounds over there for the residents that they're responsible for.

I'm not a CMT but i appreciate the work that they do. well.... some of the CMTs anyways....

how can i say im a charge nurse? Thats a simple question b/c i am a charge nurse. Like tonight i worked in a locked unit with 20 residents the lpn that was over me worked on the opp hall outside of the unit. I passed all the meds did all the insulins and had two people under me i had to supervise. So I ask you what makes you a charge nurse. A Lpn or RN. JUST CURIOUS

Specializes in Cardiac.
how can i say im a charge nurse? Thats a simple question b/c i am a charge nurse. Like tonight i worked in a locked unit with 20 residents the lpn that was over me worked on the opp hall outside of the unit. I passed all the meds did all the insulins and had two people under me i had to supervise. So I ask you what makes you a charge nurse. A Lpn or RN. JUST CURIOUS

What makes someone a charge nurse is being a nurse, for one thing.

Okay obviously i feel like im taking on about 75 people but hey thats alright. First of all i call myself a "charge nurse" b/c that is my label @ work on the ***'t sheet it'll say such and such hall and have the word CHARGE NURSE by it then have the name TIFFANY by that. But hey maybe im ignorant and mis reading that and when one my aides has a question they will tell you go to your charge nurse and they come to me but hey maybe there confused as well. The reason im taking this so personal is b/c i know i work hard @ what i do and i take my job very seriously and wish to pursue my career in nursing. But I do not wish to have a closed mind like i have seen many do in the last couple of days sighhhh. I go to the chat room off and on so feel free to find me if you would like to chat about this issue so many of you seem to have. God Bless Tiffany

Specializes in Cardiac.
Okay obviously i feel like im taking on about 75 people but hey thats alright. First of all i call myself a "charge nurse" b/c that is my label @ work on the ***'t sheet it'll say such and such hall and have the word CHARGE NURSE by it then have the name TIFFANY by that. But hey maybe im ignorant and mis reading that and when one my aides has a question they will tell you go to your charge nurse and they come to me but hey maybe there confused as well. The reason im taking this so personal is b/c i know i work hard @ what i do and i take my job very seriously and wish to pursue my career in nursing. But I do not wish to have a closed mind like i have seen many do in the last couple of days sighhhh. I go to the chat room off and on so feel free to find me if you would like to chat about this issue so many of you seem to have. God Bless Tiffany

Look Tiffany, I do not feel as though my opinion constitutes a "closed mind". Good for you for wanting to persue your nursing career. I have no doubts that you work hard and that you take your job very seriously. I am a tech, and for the longest time I felt as though nobody really understood me, or my work ethic. The nurses were always complaining about the extra duties that we could do. I remember during a meeting, they wanted the techs to start pullling femoral arterial lines, which I was totally in favor of. I have even pulled a few already. The nurses were up in arms. I thought, geez, It is really easy, those nurses need to chill out. Then I went to nursing school (1 year left). Let me tell you, no tech will ever pull out an arterial line on one of my pts!!

Nobody is criticizing you directly. It is just so hard to become a nurse, so when someone who isn't one calls herself one, it is a little insulting. Also remember, there is so much you dont know. When you get into nursing school, you will have an incredible edge over the other students. You will also understand why the nurses are so protective over their jobs, titles, licenses, and reputations.

I understand what you are saying and I am NOT caling myself a nurse i am a charge nurse @ my facility that is what they have my labeled as and that is what i work as. As I previously said THE STATE OF MISSOURI allows certified medication tech's to 1. pass med's but we are not allowed to pass scheduled II's. We are allowed with training from your facility to give med's thru a feeding tube (which are facility chooses not to do). We are allowed to take T.O'S (which are facility chooses again not to do) but yes some in the state of missouri do. I take bs's and give insulin. I chart in the nurses notes i chart the vs when and if i put a restraint of someone and the reason the time, every possible direction i went to avoid the restraint. I chart a change in the residents condition. I chart on about everything. I have to count narc's coming on and going off. I have two aides and a unit helper underneath me on my unit. I am in charge of doing tx's. I have alot of responsibility and I would like to think i do a good job at what I do. That is why i picked the name tiffanycmt b/c i am proud of my title, I do agree the 24 hr training is just plain stupid. But between the two states i have worked @ i have had 160 hrs of class time and to numerous to count otj hours. As far as i can see everyone that posted has not worked with a cmt/cma each stae calls them something different. I'm just saying open your mind up a little and see that were nto just someone that walked in to the door and got handed the med cart. God bless Tiffany

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

It's not a matter of an insult when soemone who isn't a nurse is calling themselves one, it's a matter that it's false representation, which is illegal. Not to mention it's a lie!

Someone (a visitor?) hear's "charge nurse", they're going to assume RN or LPN.

Specializes in Obstetrics, M/S, Psych.

Someone (a visitor?) hear's "charge nurse", they're going to assume RN or LPN.

That's the real concern to me. I see it as the facilities error for calling tiffany a charge nurse as it could confuse those who don't know what her qualifications are. She can be charge and it sounds like she does a fine job at it. But, the ones with the licenses are the only nurses there. They need to be clear on that or it could get them in hot water.

I have only worked @ my facilitly for 2 years now but you have your cmt's that have been doing this for 10 years and nothing has happened major as of yet. I feel more comfortable asking some cmt's questions then lpn's. I spend my time off of work researching info to stay informed but i KNOW "my scope of practice" and i NEVER cross that line. By the way state does approve b/c just like any other facility they come in for there yearly checks.

Tiffany, you can't be "charge nurse" because you are not a nurse. Falsely representing yourself as a nurse could land your butt in jail (which would seriously interfere with your plans to become a licensed nurse). It is unethical, to say the least. Your facility is also setting itself up for some hefty fines if the state ever found out that you are being designated as a "charge nurse." That's the law; not just in my state, but in every state.

If you want the title as a nurse, then do the work. I'm sick of people trying to do it on the cheap. The fact that you see no problem calling yourself a "charge nurse" shows that you lack the maturity and judgement to see how dangerous this situation is. Just because "nothing" has happened yet doesn't mean it won't. (Following that line of logic, why have car insurance if you haven't had an accident?)

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