New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 16 - OCCUPATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING
Chapter 12 - NURSING AND HEALTH CARE RELATED PROVIDERS
Part 5 - MEDICATION AIDES
Section 16.12.5.9 - CERTIFICATION BY EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICATION AIDES
Universal Citation: 16 NM Admin Code 16.12.5.9
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. Prerequisites:
(1) Be a minimum of 18 years of
age.
(2) Be a high school graduate
or complete the general education development (GED) course. Applicants who
graduated from non-U.S. education programs shall have an evaluation of their
education credentials sent to the board directly from a board recognized
educational credentialing agency to verify that the education is comparable to
a US high school diploma.
(3)
Provide documentation of a minimum of three months health care experience
working at a board approved agency within the last year or hold a current New
Mexico nurse aide certificate in good standing.
(4) Successfully complete a board-approved
program for the preparation of medication aides within the last 12
months.
(5) Complete the required
application form within the specified deadline and according to all
policies.
(6) Provide proof of
current CPR certification.
(7)
Remit the required fee.
B. Application and fee for the medication aide examination:
(1) Any application
containing fraudulent or misrepresented information could be the basis for
denial of certification.
(2)
Incomplete applications for certification will not be processed. The applicant
will be notified of the incomplete application within 30 days of
submission.
(3) Verification of
successful completion of the medication aide program including date of
completion must be received in the board office directly from the agency nurse
educator which provided the clinical experience of the program on agency
letterhead.
(4) Upon board approval
of the application, the board will issue a notification to the applicant.
Thereafter the applicant must follow testing service instructions for
scheduling the examination.
(5)
Applicants who fail the examination must submit a re-examination application
and pay a re-examination fee.
(6)
Results of the examination shall be reported by the online portal to the
applicant. Successful candidates are not certified until they receive
notification from the board. Successful candidates shall be issued an initial
certificate.
(7) Certification can
be verified through the board's website.
(8) An initial certificate shall be valid
until the last day of the applicant's birth month after the first anniversary
of the initial certificate.
C. Medication aide certification examination:
(1) The board shall develop and maintain the
board-approved examination for medication aides.
(2) Board-approved examination centers shall
comply with the security procedures developed by the board for distribution and
administration of the examination.
(3) Applicants for certification as a
medication aide shall be required to pass the medication aide examination with
a minimum of eighty percent of the items answered correctly.
(4) Failed examinations must be repeated in
their entirety on all subsequent attempts.
(5) Unsuccessful candidates may repeat the
examination one time.
(6) The
examination may be taken a maximum of two times. After the second failure, the
applicant must provide verification of repeating and successfully completing
the theory and clinical portion of a board-approved medication aide program to
be eligible to sit for the exam.
(7) Applicants observed giving or receiving
unauthorized assistance during the writing of the examination shall be
physically removed from the examination center and the individual(s) shall be
referred to the board by a sworn complaint(s) filed by the examiner.
D. Certification by examination for CMA II:
(1) CMA II applicants shall be
required to pass a certification examination with a minimum score of eighty
percent that is specific to their expanded scope of function as defined in the
core curriculum (16.12.5.16 NMAC).
(2) CMA II applicants who fail the exam may
repeat the examination one time without repeating an approved training program.
If the CMA II applicant does not pass the second examination they must provide
verification of repeating and successfully completing the theory and clinical
portion of a board approved CMA II program to be eligible to retake the
examination.
(3) Results of the
examination shall be reported by the online portal to the applicant. Successful
candidates are not certified until they receive notification from the board.
Successful candidates shall be issued an initial certificate.
(4) The initial certificate for CMA II will
align with the expiration date of CMA I.
E. Requirements for medication aide recertification:
(1) Applicants for
recertification as a medication aide must meet the continuing education and
work requirements as stated in these rules.
(2) In order to meet the CE requirement for
recertification as a medication aide, the applicant must provide evidence of
having accrued 16 clock hours of CE within the two years renewal period
immediately preceding recertification. CE may be prorated to commensurate with
the length of the renewal period.
(a) The
agency shall grant opportunities for CE.
(b) Acceptable courses shall be those with
topics related to medications and medication administration.
(c) CE requirement records are subject to
audit by the board. Certificate holders may be subject to disciplinary action
by the board if non-compliant within 60 days of the first notification of the
audit.
(d) Failure to meet the CE
requirements for recertification shall result in denial of recertification.
Individuals who do not meet the continuing education requirement may not
function as a medication aide until such time as the CE requirement has been
met.
(e) CMA II shall accrue four
additional contact hours of continuing education within the 24 months preceding
recertification. These additional contact hours must be specific to their
expanded scope of function. CE may be prorated to commensurate with the length
of the renewal period.
(3) In order to meet the work requirement for
recertification as a medication aide, the applicant must administer medications
a minimum of 100 hours during the two year period immediately preceding
certification renewal in a board approved facility.
(a) Work requirement records are subject to
audit by the board. Certificate holders may be subject to disciplinary action
by the board if non-compliant within 60 days of the first notification of the
audit. Work hours may be prorated to commensurate with the length of the
renewal period if less than 24 months.
(b) Failure to meet the employment
requirement shall result in denial of recertification.
(c) Individuals who have not met the
employment requirement may not function as a medication aide, until a 24 hour
refresher course has been completed and a recertification application and fee
have been submitted, processed, and accepted by the board.
(4) Reactivation or reinstatement of
certificate:
(a) If the certificate has lapsed
or been inactive for less than six months, the applicant may submit an
application for reactivation, submit the required fee, and submit the required
continuing education and work hours.
(b) If the certificate has lapsed or has been
inactive six months to one year, the applicant must complete a refresher
course. Completion of a refresher course shall meet both the employment and CE
requirements for the renewal period.
(c) If the certificate has lapsed or has been
inactive for more than one year, the applicant must repeat the training program
and pass the medication aide examination.
(5) Refresher course:
(a) CMA I - completion of a minimum of 12
hours of classroom studies and 12 hours of supervised clinical practice in a
board-approved medication aide program under the direction of the nurse
educator to include authorized and prohibited functions of a medication aide.
CMA II - completion the CMA I refresher course and completion of eight hours of
theory to include the expanded scope of function and 20 hours of supervised
insulin injections.
(b) A passing
score of eighty percent on the agency's final examination.
(c) Refresher course requirements are found
in 16.12.5.20 NMAC.
(d) The nurse educator shall provide
verification on agency letterhead directly to the board of nursing about the
medication aide's completion of the refresher course before a new certificate
is issued.
(e) Failure to meet any
of the requirements for the refresher course shall require the individual to
complete a board-approved training program curriculum in its
entirety.
(5) Renewal
notifications may be sent electronically to the certified medication aide at
least six weeks prior to the end of the renewal month. Renewal applications are
available on the board's website.
(a) Failure
to receive the notification for renewal shall not relieve the medication aide
of the responsibility of renewing the certificate by the expiration
date.
(b) If the certificate is not
renewed by the end of the renewal month, the medication aide does not hold a
valid certificate and shall not function as a medication aide in NM until the
lapsed certificate has been reactivated.
(c) Renewal application and fee must be
submitted, processed, and accepted by the board.
(6) Medication aides shall be required to
complete the renewal process by the end of the certificate
expiration.
(7) Initial
certificates are issued by mail only. Certificates can be verified on the board
website.
(8) Remit the required
fee.
F. Individuals who have practiced as medication aides in other states or who have been certified in another state may apply for certification in the state of New Mexico if they meet the following criteria:
(1) are a minimum
of 18 years of age;
(2) are a high
school graduate or have completed the general education development
course;
(3) Current CPR
certification;
(4) provide a
current CMA certificate or equivalent from another state;
(5) submit written verification of 100 hours
as a medication aide during the 24 month period immediately preceding request
to become certified in New Mexico submitted directly to the board by their
employer;
(6) provide written
verification by the board approved agency, on agency letterhead, of successful
completion of the appropriate refresher course, 20 hours of supervised clinical
practice, skills list, and the final examination results;
(7) successfully complete the board's
medication aide certification examination with a score of eighty percent or
better;
(a) the medication aide candidate must
apply within six months to take the approved medication aide certification
examination; an initial certification by examination application with fee must
be submitted, processed and accepted by the board according to examination
required deadline;
(b) upon
successful completion of the examination with a score of eighty percent or
higher a certificate will be mailed to the medication aide;
(c) failure to successfully pass the
medication aide certification examination shall require the medication aide to
complete a board approved training program curriculum in its
entirety.
G. Graduate nurses or nursing students currently enrolled in a school of nursing may be certified as medication aides if they meet the following criteria.
(1) Graduate nurses or student nurses who
have successfully completed a nursing pharmacology course and two of the
following may apply for medication aide certification:
(a) nursing courses to include:
pathophysiology (I), anatomy (II) and physiology (III);
(b) completed a nursing fundamentals course;
or
(c) certified nursing assistant
course.
(2) Complete the
required application form and remit the required fee.
(3) Written verification of successful
completion of courses with a "C" or higher must be submitted by the nursing
school on letterhead. In lieu of verification, official transcripts will be
accepted.
(4) Complete the
refresher course requirement CMA I or CMA I and CMA II. The attestation of
completion of the refresher course must be submitted directly to the board of
nursing by the nurse educator.
(5)
If completed certified nursing assistant course, must provide verification of a
current certificate in good standing with the state department of
health.
(6) Provide proof of a
current CPR card.
(7) Successfully
complete the board's medication aide certification examination with a score of
eighty percent or better.
(8) Upon
successful completion of the examination with a score of eighty percent or
higher a certificate will be mailed to the medication aide.
(9) Failure to successfully pass the
medication aide certification examination shall require the candidate to
complete a board approved training program curriculum in its
entirety.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Mexico may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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