Paula S

In Colorado, we have been fighting the proposal of medications aides in longterm care for 4 years. We have testified several times at committee hearings. Nurses everywhere are very concerned about this - due to vulnerability of nursing home patients, fragile medical condition, and complexity of medication administration. But legislators seem to see it as a nice fix. We are encouraging nursing homes to spend any monies on helping their good nurse aides go to school to get LPN - a value to themselves, to NH and to the community. There are no studies that we can find - period. Whether it is safe or not. And states that do allow med aides have different requirements, so it is hard to compare. this year, at least the proponents have suggested a pretty significant training - a semester of LPN school. We'll see. This is one issue that ALL nurses are very concerned about - consistently. It is NOT a defending the turf issue - it is real nursing concern.