Training Programs

(1) Any qualified entity or combination of entities seeking to conduct an MA training program shall make application and submit to the Board any documents, statements and forms as the Board may require and pay a training program initial application fee and annual renewal survey fee. The complete application shall be submitted to the Board no later than ninety (90) days prior to a scheduled Board of Nursing meeting. A representative of the Board may conduct a site visit to survey the educational and clinical facilities prior to the presentation of the program application to the Board. At a minimum, the entity or combination of entities seeking approval to conduct a training program shall provide the following: (a) Name(s) and address(es) of qualified entity(ies); (b) The program’s organizational chart; (c) The name and credentials of the program’s director; (d) The name and address of clinical facilities; (e) The location(s) of the courses or programs; (f) Demonstration of the financial ability to support the program; (g) The number and type (classroom/clinical) of education clock hours for each course; MEDICATION AIDES CHAPTER 1000-05 (h) The name(s), license number(s), nursing education, teaching and nursing experience of the program director and all instructors; (i) The program documentation containing curriculum, admissions, progression, and completion policies; (j) The topic outlines, which list the summarized topics covered in each course and upon request, a copy of any course materials; and (k) The submission of any other such information that the Board may deem necessary. (2) The qualified entity providing the training program shall: (a) Employ or contract with sufficient numbers of qualified instructors to teach and ensure that the students are prepared to administer medications in a safe and effective manner; 1. Director of program qualifications: (i) Current, active, unencumbered registered nurse in Tennessee or multistate privilege to practice in Tennessee; and (ii) At least one (1) year of nursing experience and medication administration experience in long term care. 2. Instructor qualifications: (i) Current, active, unencumbered registered or licensed practical nurse in Tennessee or multistate privilege to practice in Tennessee; and (ii) At least one (1) year of nursing experience and medication administration experience in long term care. (b) Provide financial support and resources adequate to teach the students the curriculum established in T.C.A. § 63-7-127 and these rules, including, but not limited to classrooms, equipment, supplies, and qualified administrative, instructional, and support personnel and services; (c) Inform each student of the requirements for certification; (d) Provide a written program grading system policy which reflects a numerical grading system or scaled grading system. Students must make a passing grade in both didactic and clinical courses; (e) Provide a written protocol or policy on the mechanism to evaluate a student’s performance. At least one (1) written evaluation is required within the first half of the program; (f) Provide a written policy on the dismissal of students; (g) Provide a copy of a student’s transcript to the student upon the student’s written request and upon the student’s completion of or withdrawal from the program; (h) Engage in program evaluation that includes, but is not limited to, obtaining feedback from students, instructors, and employers of individuals who have successfully completed the MA training program; and MEDICATION AIDES CHAPTER 1000-05 (i) Maintain records including results of a board approved examination for each student for a period of six years following the date the student enrolled in the program. (3) The program shall not advertise that it is approved by the Board prior to or after a loss of Board approval. (4) The program shall retain records of attendees of each course and the Board may at any time examine the records. (5) The program shall ensure a first time test taker examination pass rate minimum of seventy per cent (70%). The Board will evaluate the program's examination pass rate on an annual basis. (6) The program shall file with the Board office an annual report containing, at a minimum, the following information: (a) The total enrollment for the year; (b) The number of students graduated; (c) The employment placement data; (d) The number of students dismissed or withdrawn for the year; (e) The number of students taking the certification examination; and (f) A list of training program instructors and qualifications. (7) The program shall obtain approval by the Board on an annual basis. (8) The program shall submit a training program annual renewal survey fee. (9) A representative of the Board may inspect the program on an annual basis or as directed by the Board or Board’s representative and shall submit a written report to the Board. If any deficiencies are noted, the program shall have ten (10) days to correct the deficiencies. (10) If deficiencies are not corrected within the Board’s prescribed time frame, the program will be denied approval or removed from approved status and will be prohibited from enrolling students. Notice will be sent to the program upon denial or removal of approved status. (11) In addition to the minimum standard curriculum provided in T.C.A. § 63-7-127(i)(2), the qualified entity shall provide the following content: (a) Federal and state laws and rules relative to medication aides who administer medications in a nursing home, assisted care living facility, and P.A.C.E.; (b) Confidentiality of protected health information; (c) Program objectives and outcomes, course objectives or outcomes, teaching strategies, and core competencies or other evaluation methods that are: 1. Consistent with the law and rules applicable to medication aides, as set forth in this chapter; MEDICATION AIDES CHAPTER 1000-05 2. Internally consistent; 3. Implemented as written; and 4. Made available to students in medication aide training programs; (d) A curriculum plan showing the sequence of classroom content, clinical experiences, and the number of clock hours allotted to instruction and clinical experience related to medication administration; (e) At least sixty (60) hours of instruction, consisting of forty (40) classroom hours to be completed in person or through distance learning and twenty (20) clinical hours: 1. During the clinical components, students and instructors must be present in the same location, and the instruction must be provided in person; and 2. Students must satisfactorily complete the classroom component prior to participating in the supervised clinical component of the medication aide training program; (f) A standard minimum curriculum including: 1. Communication and interpersonal skills; 2. Resident rights related to medication administration, including the right of a resident to refuse medications; 3. The six rights of medication administration: (i) The right medication; (ii) The right route; (iii) The right time; (iv) The right patient; (v) The right dosage; and (vi) The right documentation. 4. Drug terminology, storage and disposal, including: (i) Medical terminology, symbols, and accepted abbreviations; (ii) Dosage measurement; (iii) Reference resources; (iv) Principles of safe medication storage and disposal; 5. Fundamentals of the following body systems, including: (i) Gastrointestinal; (ii) Musculoskeletal; MEDICATION AIDES CHAPTER 1000-05 (iii) Nervous and sensory; (iv) Urinary/renal; (v) Cardiovascular; (vi) Respiratory; (vii) Endocrine; (viii) Male and female reproductive; and (ix) Integumentary and mucous membranes; 6. Basic pharmacology, drug classifications and medications affecting body systems, including: (i) Purposes of various medications; (ii) Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances; (iii) Special considerations surrounding controlled substances such as: (I) Diversion; (II) Overdose and naloxone; (III) Security and access; (IV) Accountability; 7. Safe administration of medications including: (i) Oral medications; (ii) Topical medications; (iii) Metered hand-held inhalers with spacer; (iv) Proper resident positioning; (v) Measurement of apical pulse and blood pressure in association with medication administration; 8. Principles of standard precautions; 9. Documentation of medications in residents’ clinical records, including as-needed medications; 10. Circumstances in which a medication aide should report to, or consult with, a nurse concerning a resident or residents to whom medications are administered, including: MEDICATION AIDES CHAPTER 1000-05 (i) The potential need of a resident for the administration of an as-needed medication, as evidenced by a resident’s expression of discomfort or other indication; (ii) A resident exercising the right to refuse medication administration; (iii) Any deviation from the delegation of medication administration instructions; (iv) Any observation about the condition of a resident that should cause concern to a medication aide. 11. Medication errors, including: (i) Error prevention through promotion of safe medication administration practices; (ii) Timeliness and manner of reporting medication errors; 12. The role of the medication aide as set forth in T.C.A. § 63-7-127 and these rules, shall include: (i) The fact that administration of medication is a nursing function that may only be performed by a medication aide when it has been delegated by a nurse in accordance with the provisions of T.C.A. § 63-7-127 and these rules; (ii) The settings in which medications may be administered by medication aides; (iii) The types of medications that may be administered by medication aides as well as those that a medication aide may not administer. (12) A class of students shall complete the program in no fewer than fourteen (14) calendar days, to be completed within thirty (30) calendar days from the start date. (13) The supervised clinical practice component of an approved medication aide training program shall be sufficient to assure that students are prepared to administer medications as a medication aide in a safe and effective manner, and; (a) While engaged in medication administration, a student shall be under the one-on-one direction and supervision of a faculty member. (b) The supervised clinical practice component shall take place in a nursing home or assisted care living facility or P.A.C.E. for which the training program has a written agreement to provide licensed nurse supervision of the student in accordance with this section. (14) The training program shall assure that a medication skills checklist is maintained for each student to record performance during the supervised clinical practice and shall include the following: (a) Each skill necessary to safely administer medications in accordance with T.C.A. § 63-7- 127 and these rules; (b) The date each skill is successfully demonstrated, MEDICATION AIDES CHAPTER 1000-05 (c) The name and signature of the faculty member who supervised the student’s successful performance of the skill. (15) The training program shall provide a copy of the medication skills checklist, certified by the program to be true and accurate, to each student upon completion of the medication aide training program. (16) A medication aide training program shall close a program, if necessary, in an orderly manner including providing thirty (30) days advance written notice to the board, current students, and program applicants of the following: (a) Tentative date of the closing; (b) The location where the program’s student records and other records will be retained; and (c) The name, address, and other contact information of the custodian of all program records after the program is closed.