Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024
PURPOSE: Individuals who administer medications in
intermediate care and skilled nursing facilities are required by rule to have
successfully completed a medication administration training program approved by
the Department of Health and Senior Services. This rule sets forth the
requirements for the approval of a medication technician training program
designating the required course curriculum content, outlining the
qualifications required of students and instructors, designating approved
training facilities, outlining the testing and certification requirements, and
establishing an update course.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The secretary of state has
determined that the publication of the entire text of the material which is
incorporated by reference as a portion of this rule would be unduly cumbersome
or expensive. This material as incorporated by reference in this rule shall be
maintained by the agency at its headquarters and shall be made available to the
public for inspection and copying at no more than the actual cost of
reproduction. This note applies only to the reference material. The entire text
of the rule is printed here.
(1) Definitions. For the purpose of this rule
the following definitions shall apply.
(A)
Cooperating agency-an intermediate care facility (ICF) or skilled nursing
facility (SNF) licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services (the
department) which has entered into a written agreement with the educational
training agency to provide the setting for the clinical portion of the
course.
(B) Course-the sixty (60)
hours of classroom training, eight (8) hours of clinical practice, and a two
(2)-part final examination of the department-approved certified medication
technician course curriculum.
(C)
Educational training agency-an area vocational-technical school, an area career
center, a comprehensive high school, a community college, or an approved four
(4) year institution of higher learning that is approved by the department to
conduct the Certified Medication Technician (CMT) Course. A long-term care
facility cannot be a training agency.
(2) The CMT course shall be prescribed by the
department in order to prepare individuals for employment as certified
medication technicians in intermediate care facilities and skilled nursing
facilities (ICF/SNF). The program shall be designed to teach skills in
medication administration of nonparenteral medications, which will qualify
students to perform this procedure to assist licensed practical nurses (LPNs)
or registered nurses (RNs) in medication therapy. All aspects of the CMT course
included in this rule shall be met in order for a program to be
approved.
(3) If the CMT course is
to be conducted in an ICF/SNF, the facility must enter into an agreement with
an educational training agency which is responsible to:
(A) Provide administration of the Test of
Adult Basic Education (TABE) and review of the student's
qualifications;
(B) Arrange for a
department-approved instructor;
(C)
Arrange for administration of the final examination; and
(D) Certify the students through a
department-approved certifying agency which is any one (1) of the long-term
care associations or any other department-approved agency authorized to issue
certificates.
(4) The
objective of the CMT Training Program shall be to ensure that the medication
technician will be able to do the following:
(A) Prepare, administer, and document
administration of medications by all routes except those administered by the
parenteral route;
(B) Observe,
report, and document responses of residents to medications
administered;
(C) Identify
responsibilities associated with acquisition, storage, and security of
medications;
(D) Identify
appropriate medication reference materials;
(E) Observe, report, and document responses
of residents to medications;
(F)
Identify lines of authority and areas of responsibility; and
(G) Identify what constitutes a medication
error.
(5) The course
shall consist of at least sixty (60) classroom hours of instruction taught by a
department-approved CMT instructor or examiner (instructor/examiner). The
course shall include an additional minimum eight (8) hours of clinical practice
conducted in a licensed ICF or SNF under the direct supervision of the CMT
instructor/examiner or under the direct supervision of an RN employed by the
cooperating agency and designated by the educational training agency in section
(9) of this rule. The instructor/examiner or the RN employed by the cooperating
agency may require the student to complete more than the minimum eight (8)
hours of clinical practice based on each student's mastery of course content. A
final written examination and a minimum two (2)-hour final practicum
examination must be conducted in an ICF/SNF.
(A) For all courses beginning on or after the
effective date of this rule, the student manual and course developed by the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri Center for
Career Education at University of Central Missouri as outlined in the manual
entitled
Certified Medication Technician, (Revised 2008),
incorporated by reference in this rule and available by Internet at:
www.cmttest.org shall be considered
the approved course curriculum. This rule does not incorporate any subsequent
amendments or additions.
(B) For
all courses beginning on or after the effective date of this rule, the approved
course curriculum instructor's guide shall be the companion
Instructor's Guide, (Revised 2008), incorporated by reference
in this rule, and accessed by Internet:
www.cmttest.org. This rule does not
incorporate any subsequent amendments or additions.
(C) Students and instructors shall each have
a copy of the approved course curriculum manual.
(D) The curriculum content shall include
procedures and instructions in the following areas:
1. Basic review of body systems and
medication effects on each;
2.
Medical terminology;
3. Infection
control;
4. Medication
classifications;
5. Medication
dosages, measurements, and forms;
6. Acquisition, storage, and
security;
7. Problems of
observations in medication therapy; and
8. Administration by oral, rectal, vaginal,
otic, opthalmic, nasal, skin, topical, transdermal patches, and oral metered
dose inhaler.
(E) A
student shall not be allowed to independently administer medications until
successfully completing the CMT course. The CMT Course Evaluation Record may be
used as authorization to independently administer medications for up to sixty
(60) days. After this period the student must be listed on the Missouri CNA
Registry as an active CMT.
(6) Student Qualifications.
(A) Any individual employable in an ICF/SNF
who will be involved in direct resident care shall be eligible to enroll as a
student in the course if the following criteria are also met:
1. High school diploma or General Education
Development (GED) Certificate;
2. A
minimum score of 8.9 on both Vocabulary and Comprehension tests and a minimum
score of 7.0 on Mathematics Concepts and Application tests on the D level of
the TABE. The tests shall be administered by the educational training
agency;
3. Six (6) months of
employment as a CNA who is listed as active on the Missouri CNA
Registry;
4. For an individual
currently employed in a long-term care facility, a letter of recommendation
submitted to the educational training agency by the administrator or director
of nursing of the facility, or for an individual not currently employed in a
long-term care facility, a letter of recommendation submitted to the
educational training agency by a previous long-term care facility
employer;
5. The individual is not
listed on the department's Employee Disqualification List (EDL) and does not
have a Federal Indicator on the Missouri CNA Registry or any other state's CNA
Registry that the educational training agency has checked based on a belief
that information on the individual may be included;
6. The individual has not been convicted of
or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a crime in
this state or any other state, which if committed in Missouri would be a Class
A or Class B felony violation of Chapters 565, 566, or 569, RSMo, or any
violation of subsection 3 of section
198.070,
or section 568.020, RSMo, unless a good cause waiver has been granted by the
department under the provisions of
19 CSR
30-82.060; and
7. The individual meets the employment
requirements listed in
19
CSR 30-85.042(32).
(B) Students who drop the CMT
course due to illness or incapacity may reenroll within six (6) months of the
date the student withdrew from the course and make up the missed course
material upon presenting proof of prior attendance and materials covered if
allowed by the educational training agency's policy.
(C) Individuals seeking to challenge the CMT
examination shall be listed as active on the Missouri CNA Registry and shall
meet the criteria in paragraph (6)(A)6. of this rule. If not listed as active
on the Missouri CNA Registry, the individual shall first apply to challenge and
successfully pass the CNA written and practicum examination. The following
individuals may qualify to challenge the final written and practicum CMT
examination:
1. A student enrolled in a
professional nursing school or in a practical nursing program who has completed
a medication administration course and who has a letter of endorsement from the
school or program director;
2. An
individual who successfully completed a professional or practical nursing
program in the last five (5) years but who failed the professional (RN) or
practical (LPN) state licensure examination;
3. An individual who provides evidence of
successful completion of a department-approved CMT course while working as an
aide at a facility operated by the Missouri Department of Mental Health who is
listed as a CNA on the Missouri CNA Registry.
(D) An individual who provides evidence of
successful completion of a Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH)-approved
CMT course while working at a facility operated by the DMH but who is not
listed as a CNA on the department's Missouri CNA Registry may challenge the CMT
examination. The CMT challenge may only be made after first completing the
orientation module of the department's approved Nurse Assistant Training
Program and successfully challenging the final CNA examination so that the
individual's name appears on the department's Missouri CNA Registry.
(E) An individual who has successfully
completed a department-approved medication technician course in another state,
who is currently listed as a CMT in good standing in that state, and who
submits a letter of recommendation to the department's Health Education Unit
from an administrator or director of nursing of a facility in which the
individual worked as a medication technician.
(7) Obtaining Approval to Challenge the CMT
Examination.
(A) An individual wanting to
challenge the written and practicum final examination shall submit a request in
writing to the department's Health Education Unit enclosing documentation
required by this rule. If approved to challenge the examination, a letter so
stating will be sent from the department to be presented to the educational
training agency. The educational training agency shall review and maintain a
copy of the letter in the agency's file prior to scheduling the individual for
testing. Challenge approval letters shall be valid for one hundred twenty (120)
days from the date of the department's approval.
(B) An individual who has successfully
completed a professional or practical nursing program and who has not yet taken
or received the results of the state licensure examination may request a
qualifying letter from the department's Health Education Unit allowing the
individual to administer medication in a long-term care facility. The
qualifying letter allows the individual to administer medications according to
this regulation in lieu of a certificate or the individual being listed on the
Missouri CNA Registry as an active CMT. However, if more than ninety (90) days
have lapsed since graduation or since taking the Missouri State Board
Examination with no successful results confirmed, the individual shall request
department approval to challenge the final examination for certification as a
medication technician.
(C) An
individual shall not administer medications without the instructor present
until the individual has successfully completed the challenge examination and
holds an authorized signed CMT Course Evaluation Record. An authorized signed
CMT Course Evaluation Record is good for up to sixty (60) calendar days from
the examination date pending receipt of the certificate or of listing on the
Missouri CNA Registry as an active CMT.
(8) CMT Course Examiner Qualification
Requirements.
(A) In order to qualify as an
instructor, examiner, or both, the individual:
1. Shall be currently licensed to practice as
an RN in Missouri or shall have a temporary permit from the Missouri State
Board of Nursing. The instructor/examiner shall not be the subject of current
disciplinary action, such as probation, suspension, or revocation of
license;
2. Shall hold a current
Certified Medication Technician teaching certificate from the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education, Division of Career Education;
3. Shall complete an instructor/examiner
program workshop and be listed as a qualified CMT instructor/examiner on the
department's Instructor/Examiner Registry;
4. Shall sign an agreement with the
department to protect and keep secure the final examination and the PIN used to
electronically access the Instructor Guide/Test Bank;
5. May be an employee of the ICF/SNF in which
training is conducted, but the ICF/SNF must have a cooperative agreement with
an educational training agency;
6.
Shall teach the course or facilitate the challenge examination only as
permitted by the educational training agency; and
7. May be assisted by pharmacists as guest
instructors in the areas of medication systems, regulations governing
medications, medication actions, adverse reactions, medication interactions,
and medication errors.
(B) CMT Instructor/Examiner Disqualification
Criteria.
1. An individual shall not be
approved to be an instructor/examiner if he or she has ever been found to have
knowingly acted or omitted any duty in a manner which would materially and
adversely affect the health, safety, welfare, or property of a
resident.
2. An individual who has
been approved to be an instructor/examiner shall have that status revoked if,
after an investigation by the department, it is found that the individual:
A. Knowingly acted or omitted any duty in a
manner which materially and adversely affected the health, safety, welfare, or
property of a resident;
B.
Defrauded an educational agency or student by taking payment and not completing
a course or following through with certification documentation required by
19 CSR
30-84.020;
C. Failed to teach, examine, or clinically
supervise in accordance with
19 CSR
30-84.020;
D. Falsified information on the CMT Course
Evaluation Record or any other required documentation;
E. Failed to keep secure the automated PIN
access system;
F. Failed to keep
secure the CMT web-based, department-approved Instructor Guide/Test
Bank;
G. Copied test questions or
answer keys; or
H. Prepared
students directly from the exam or utilized unfair or subjective testing
techniques.
(C) When an individual is no longer qualified
to be an instructor/examiner, the department shall:
1. Notify the individual that he or she is no
longer eligible to be an instructor/examiner;
2. Notify all certifying agencies that the
individual is no longer considered an approved instructor or examiner;
and
3. Remove the individual's name
from the department's Instructor/Examiner Registry.
(D) To be reinstated as an approved
instructor/examiner the individual shall submit a request in writing to the
department's Health Education Unit stating the reasons why reinstatement is
warranted. If the individual has not attended the Train-the-Trainer Program
Workshop within two (2) years of the date of request, the individual shall
retake the Train-the-Trainer Program Workshop. The Section for Long-Term Care
administrator or designee shall respond in writing to the request.
(9) Educational Training Agencies.
(A) The following entities are eligible to
apply to the department's Health Education Unit to be an approved educational
training agency: vocational-technical schools, comprehensive high schools,
community colleges or approved four (4)-year institutions of higher
learning.
(B) All classrooms shall
contain sufficient space, equipment and teaching aids to meet the course
objectives.
(C) A school requesting
approval to teach the CMT Training Course or facilitate challenging the
examination shall file an application with the department's Health Education
Unit giving the names of the instructors and listing the equipment and
classroom space that will be used and shall provide a copy of an agreement with
the cooperating agency where the course, clinical practice, or final practicum
examination of the program will be conducted and provide the names of the RNs
supervising the clinical observation. Educational training agencies shall be
approved for a two (2)-year period and shall submit a new application thirty
(30) days prior to the expiration date.
(D) The cooperating agency in which clinical
practice and the final practicum examination are conducted shall allow
students, instructors and examiners access to the medication room, supervised
access to residents and access to the medication documentation area.
(E) There shall be a signed written agreement
between the educational training agency and each cooperating agency which
specifies the rules, responsibilities, and liabilities of each party.
(F) The educational training agency is
responsible for sending the department's Health Education Unit a copy of the
most current signed agreement with the cooperating agency where any portion of
the course or the entire course will be conducted. The department shall review
all signed agreements of cooperation. On-site inspections of the cooperating
agency or the educational training agency may be made by the department if
problems occur or complaints are received. If requirements are not met, the
status as an educational training agency may be revoked by the
department.
(G) The classroom
portion of the course may be taught in an ICF/SNF if there is an approved
educational training agency as a sponsor.
(10) Certified Medication Technician Course
Testing.
(A) Prior to the student's
enrollment, the TABE shall be administered by qualified examiners designated by
the educational training agency. See paragraph (6)(A)2. of this rule.
(B) To be eligible for the final course
examination, students shall have achieved a score of at least eighty percent
(80%) on each written examination in the course curriculum.
(C) Courses beginning on or after the
effective date of this rule require the instructor/examiner to administer the
department-approved written final examination accessed through the department's
website at
www.cmttest.org using a
secure PIN system. The final examination shall include fifty (50) multiple
choice questions based on course objectives. A score of at least eighty percent
(80%) is required for passing.
(D)
The practicum examination shall include preparing and administering all
non-parenteral routes and documenting administration of medications
administered to residents. The practicum examination shall be conducted under
the direct supervision of the department-approved instructor/examiner and the
individual responsible for medication administered in the ICF/SNF. Testing on
medications not available in the ICF/SNF shall be done in a simulated classroom
situation.
(E) The final
examination may be retaken one (1) time within ninety (90) days of the first
fail date without repeating the course.
(F) A challenge examination may be taken one
(1) time. If failed, the entire course shall be taken.
(G) The instructor/examiner shall complete
the CMT Course Evaluation Record, which includes competencies, scores, and
other identifying information.
(11) Records and Certification.
(A) Records.
1. The educational training agency shall
maintain records for at least two (2) years for those individuals who have
completed the CMT Course and shall submit to a department-approved certifying
agency within thirty (30) calendar days from the examination date the
following: the student's legal name, Social Security number, class beginning
date and completion date, whether certified by a challenge or full course, and
other identifying information from the CMT Course Evaluation Record.
2. The educational training agency shall
provide a copy of the CMT Course Evaluation Record to the certified medication
technician.
3. The educational
training agency may release a transcript with written permission from the
student in accordance with the provisions of the Family Education Rights and
Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. section 1232g. (B) Certification.
1. The educational training agency shall
maintain the records of individuals who have been enrolled in the CMT course
and shall submit to a department-approved certifying agency, the legal name,
date of birth, Social Security number, certificate number, certification date,
educational training agency and cooperating agency for all individuals who
successfully complete the course and final examination within thirty (30)
calendar days from the examination date. Upon receipt of the successful
completion of the course, a department-approved certifying agency shall issue a
certificate of completion to the student through the educational training
agency. Any final examination documentation over sixty (60) days old shall be
invalid.
2. Each week the
certifying agency shall provide the department's Health Education Unit with
names and other identifying information of those receiving
certificates.
3. The department
shall maintain a list of certifying agencies approved to issue certificates for
the CMT Training Program. In order for a certifying agency to be approved by
the department, the agency shall enter into an annually renewable agreement of
cooperation with the department.
(12) Requirements for Hiring an Individual as
a CMT.
(A) The department shall maintain a CNA
Registry, which will list the names of CMTs and other relevant and identifying
information.
(B) Any individual
seeking employment in an ICF/SNF as a CMT must be employable as a CNA and be
listed with active status as a CNA and CMT on the department's CNA
Registry.
(C) When employing an
individual as a CMT, the facility shall contact the department's website at
www.dhss.mo.gov/cnareg-istry in
order to verify current certification status of the individual. Current
registry status must be verified even though the individual presents a CMT
certificate.
*Original authority: 198.079, RSMo 1979, amended
2007.