Further your career by becoming a Medication Aide! Medication Aide training is a stepping stone to achieving higher status in the healthcare industry.
Who is a Certified Medication Aide?
A Certified Medication Aide is a CNA who has had additional training and is authorized to administer non-injectable medications safely, legally, and accurately, as well as carry out related duties and responsibilities in healthcare settings. CMAs prepare and administer routine medications to patients; stock and maintain a sufficient drug inventory to ensure adequate supplies; and document the administration and effectiveness of medications, taking note of any adverse side effects. In Oregon, Certified Medication Aides must complete an OSBN-approved medication aide training program, pass a competency examination approved by the OSBN, and receive CMA certification before administering medications.
MA Training Program Prerequisites & Eligibility Documentation
MA Training Program Prerequisites & Eligibility Documentation
- All students must be at least 18 years of age to register into the MA program.
- All students must present a current color government-issued, signature-bearing, PHOTO ID with their legal name and birth date for identity verification.
- All students must be able to read, comprehend, speak, and write in English at the sixth-grade level or above. Students will not be allowed to have an interpreter in the classroom or clinical.
- All students must complete a state and national criminal background check. Some crimes may preclude clinical placement and OSBN certification/licensure. Healthcare training partners will make all eligibility and clinical placement decisions relative to screening results.
- All students must certify on a Student Statement of Good Health form prior to the first day of class that they are free from contagious disease, physically and mentally fit, able to successfully participate in skills labs and clinicals, and perform duties of a MA safely, without risk to the health and safety of others or themselves.
- All students must sign a statement they have received the CTI Program Packet prior to registering into the school’s MA program and acknowledge they reviewed, understand, and agree to comply with the information covered in the entire CTI Program Packet.
OSBN Registry Requirement:
- MA applicants must hold a current certificate to practice as a CNA on the Oregon CNA Registry prior to the first day of class and throughout the MA education.
- If a student is transferring from another state, they must wait until they are listed on the OSBN website as a CNA in good standing in Oregon to enroll in the MA program.
- A student who was previously certified as a CNA or CMA from any state, and who had their certificate put on probation, suspended, or revoked, may not be allowed to test for OSBN certification. The OSBN will make a final determination after the completion of the student’s training program at the time the student applies for certification testing on a case-by-case basis.
OSBN NA Work Experience Requirement for MA Students:
To qualify for MA training, OSBN regulations require students to provide documentation of on-the-job experience:
- Meets the employment requirement of at least 832 hours of paid employment performing CNA authorized duties under the supervision of a licensed nurse since completion of nursing assistant training and within the last two years preceding application
- If a MA student worked in an assisted living facility or a home care agency, the nurse must have supervised the student’s work and written the care plans for the clients the student cared for.
- It is a condition of the program that a MA student provide a letter from their current employer or former employer stating they were a paid employee under the supervision of a nurse, their time on the job, and the position they were employed in at least five (5) business days prior to the first day of class.
MA Faculty-led Program Certificate Classes
- The OSBN approved MA program consists of 80 hours of instruction, divided into 45 hours of classroom and 11 hours of skills lab instruction, and an additional 24 hours of instruction in a clinical setting.
- Caregiver Training Institute offers alternating evening and weekend mandated hours of instruction 4-6 times a year.
- In-person skills labs of up to 10 students per instructor on campus emphasize the importance of learning by doing.
- Supervised clinical rotations of one (1) instructor to one (1) student at a healthcare facility provide students with practical work experience.
- The MA Faculty-led Program offers students the option of attending the didactic classroom portion of the program either in a residential classroom setting or in a hybrid virtual class setting.
- Students enrolled in the Virtual option of this course, after September 1, 2024 ,will be required to complete an online learning assessment prior to enrollment.
A job as a Medication Aide can be incredibly fulfilling and increase your job options in a wide variety of different work environments.
Program Deadlines
Medication Aide positions are in high demand, offer flexible work schedules, comfortable working conditions, and can be financially rewarding.