Administration of Medication

Section 330 Section 330.1520  Administration of Medication a)         All medications taken by residents shall be self-administered, unless administered by personnel who are licensed to administer medications, in accordance with their respective licensing requirements.  Licensed practical nurses shall have successfully completed a course in pharmacology or have at least one year's full-time supervised experience in administering medications in a health care setting if their duties include administering medications to residents. b)         No person shall be admitted to a facility who is not capable of taking his or her own medications and any needed biologicals, as approved in writing by the resident's personal physician. Facility staff may remind residents when to take medications and watch to ensure that they follow the directions on the container. c)         Assistance in Self-Administration of Medications 1)         Facility staff may assist a resident in the self-administration of medications by taking the medication from the locked area where it is stored and handing it to the resident.  If the resident is physically unable to open the container, a staff member may open the container for the resident. 2)         Facility staff may also assist physically impaired residents, such as those who have arthritis, cerebral palsy, or Parkinson's disease, in the removal of the medication from the container and in assisting the resident in consuming or applying the medication when requested to do so by the resident.  (For example, a staff member may place a dose of medicine in a container and place the container to the mouth of a resident who would not be able to do so himself without spilling it.)