Medication Administration Program
Certificate of Proficiency

This Medication Administration Program consists of 115 clock hours and seven credit hours. This program is only open to Certified Nursing Assistants who have been employed in that capacity in a nursing home for at least one year. The main course, Basic Medication Administration Skills, prepares Certified Nursing Assistants for the task of medication administration. This course of study also includes introduction to medication administration, a brief history of health care, the development of the role of Medication Assistant, state and federal regulatory issues; principles of medication administration including pharmacology, medications, medication orders, prescriptions and transcription; information on medications and their effect on the body including a review of body systems; and special circumstances, such as, substance abuse by the individual being cared for by Medication Assistants as well as by their coworkers.

Admission Requirements:

COMPASS Test (given on campus Fridays, except during the summer when it is given on Thursdays, cost of $10.00) with minimum scores of:

Battery	Compass Minimum Score	Course Placement
Reading	82	Test out of Academic Reading
Writing	75	Test out of Academic Writing

Scores must be dated within the last five years.

Official copies of all college transcripts and an official copy of a high school transcript or G.E.D. scores.
Completion of a College of the Ouachitas Application for Admission and a Medication Administration Application for Admission.
Proof of a current listing in good standing on the Arkansas Certified Nurse Aide Registry.
Proof of maintained registration on the Arkansas Certified Nurse Aide Registry continuously for a minimum of one year.
Proof of current employment at a nursing home.
Immunization record of one rubella, one mumps, and two measles

For readmission to the program, the student must:
1.    Reapply to the program by submitting another Application for Admission.
2.    Write a statement explaining why they were not successful on the previous attempt and give a plan of action to correct the problem(s) that initially led to being unsuccessful in the program.
3.    Retake and complete the entire course content in the program.
The decision of placement of a student requesting to return to the Medication Administration Program, whose cycle in the curriculum is interrupted for any reason, remains at the discretion of College of the Ouachitas officials based on class size and instructor and clinical slot availability.
*** REAPPLICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE READMISSION

CURRICULUM - *MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM

Dept.	Section	Course Name	Days**	**Start/End	Room
MNUA1117	01	Basic Medication Administration	F	8:00a-2:00p	H119
		Lab	F	2:00p-3:30p	H118
		Clinical	Sat-Sun	6:30a-4:30p	NH

**These meeting times and days are tentative and are subject to change. Please consult the class schedule for current scheduling information.
One days a week at 6 hours a day for 6 weeks = 60 hours Theory
One days a week for 1.5 hours a day for 10 weeks = 15 hours Lab
10 hours a day for 4 day = 40 hours Clinical

Clinical Training: Clinical experiences are designed to allow students to transfer knowledge gained through classroom presentation into “hands on” medication administration. Students will spend not less than 40 hours in clinical. Rules and regulations regarding clinical experiences can be found in the MA-C Handbook. The student is responsible for their transportation to the clinical facilities.

Program Requirements (Printable PDF Document)

Medication Administration Program Certificate of Proficiency

Admission Requirements:

Medication Administration Program
Certificate of Proficiency