A Medication Assistant is defined as an individual who completes a Board approved 16 hour Medication Administration Training Program. In addition, the law also required that Medication Assistants be registered with the Board of Nursing. Once the Medication Assistant is registered with the Board, the Medication Assistant can administer selected medications to individuals in selected community based setting, when: 1) a registered nurse has delegated this function; and, 2) the registered nurse was available to supervise, instruct and evaluate the Medication Assistant's performance. The settings that the Medication Assistant could function in included but were not limited to: assisted living, a Developmental Disabilities alternative living unit, the Department of Juvenile Service's residential placement programs, and the school health setting. In order for the individual to be eligible to take the Board approved Medication Assistant Training Program, the person had to be employed in the setting and be recommended by their employer. An individual is not required to be a Certified Nursing Assistant to become a Medication Assistant.
The Certified Medication Technician (CMT), is an individual who has completed the Board approved 20 hour training program in medication administration. The medication technician who has completed this required training and who is certified by the Board may administer medications at the delegation of and under the supervision of registered nurses to clients in a community based setting. The registered nurse, case manager/delegating nurse must make an on site home visit to the client setting at a minimum of every 45 days.
Only registered nurses may teach the 20 hour Board approved medication administration training program for the medication technician. There are medication technician training programs specific to Juvenile Service, Developmental Disabilities, Assisted Living and School Health. You must be employed in one of these settings to be trained as a medication technician.
Upon successful completion of the Board approved medication technician training program and submission of the medication technician application for certification to the Board, an individual may function as medication technician under the delegation and supervision of the registered nurse, case manager/delegating nurse for no more than 90 days while awaiting certification by the Board. Should an individual not appear on the web page as a certified medication technician within 90 days, the individual must cease practice. Each individual medication technician will be issued a MBON certificate as a medication technician. The initial certification process takes approximately six weeks.
It is the responsibility of the registered nurse, case manager/delegating nurse who taught the medication training program and/or who is delegating to the medication technician to verify that the medication technician certification appears on the Board's web page.
Each medication technician must renew the certification as a medication technician every two years following the date of the first renewal. In addition, the CMT must also practice as a CMT for 100 hours in the two (2) years immediately preceding the renewal date in order to renew his or her certification. The medication technician certification renewal process consists of two steps. The first is completing the required four (4) hour Clinical Update. The second step is completing the paper renewal form which will be mailed by the Board to the individual's last known address.
Only the registered nurses, case manager/delegating nurse who has completed the RN, case manager/delegating nurse 16 hour training program may teach the Board approved Medication Technician Training Program and the required two year Medication Technician Clinical Update.
An individual is not required to be a certified nursing assistant to become a certified medication technician. Employment in the Juvenile Service setting, or the Developmental Disabilities setting or the School Health setting or Assisted Living setting is required for entry into the medication technician training program.
The applicant must:
The medication technician: