Medication Administration

On Thursday, August 21, 2014, the Board of Nursing approved a revised Medication Administration for Unlicensed Personnel curriculum. The revised curriculum moves away from text-based learning to a more dynamic, interactive curriculum. DIDD plans to fully implement this on January 1, 2015.

DIDD is also revising the guidelines for testing and renewal of certification. The proposed new rules would extend the certification from the current two years, to three years and eliminate the 8-hour recertification class. Instead, DIDD would offer online refresher materials to assist them in taking the recertification and competency skills test.

While the revision will offer significant regulatory relief, it will also make the training more focused on the practical, hands-on skills direct support professionals need to safely administer medications to the people we support. The primary goal of the revision is to ensure people in our service delivery system are receiving the best care.

DIDD will be making changes to the Medication Administration webpage and reaching out in other ways in preparation for the transition. 

This revision would not have been possible without hard work of Deputy Commissioner Dr. Tom Cheetham and his staff, especially the Nurse Educators, Sue Buckley, Joyce Couch and Leah McWain under the leadership of Danny Ricker. They worked countless hours to revise and prepare the materials, and still have much work ahead of them to fully implement this curriculum.