Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee
Title 1000 - Nursing
Chapter 1000-05 - Medication Aides
Section 1000-05-.02 - DEFINITIONS

(1) "Applicant" means a person filing an application for a certificate as a MA.

(2) "As Needed Medication" means any oral or topical medication for a specified condition that is not scheduled to be administered to a resident at a routine time but is given in response to a resident's complaint or expression of discomfort.

(3) "Assisted Care Living Facility" shall have the same meaning as set forth in T.C.A. § 68-11-201.

(4) "Board" means the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

(5) "Certified Nurse Aide" means an individual who has successfully completed an approved nursing assistant training program and is registered with the department.

(6) "Clinical Practice Component" means tasks or activities planned as part of a medication aide training program to provide Medication Aide students with the opportunity to administer medications in a nursing home, an assisted care living facility setting, or a Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (P.A.C.E.).

(7) "Clock Hour or Contact Hour" means fifty (50) to sixty (60) minutes of qualifying or continuing education.

(8) "Controlled Substances" shall have the same meaning as set forth in T.C.A. § 63-10-204(7).

(9) "Curriculum" means the standard minimum curriculum to be used in a board-approved training program for medication aides in accordance with T.C.A. § 63-7-127.

(10) "Delegation" means the transfer of responsibility, but not the accountability, for the administration of medication from the delegating licensed nurse to a Medication Aide.

(11) "Department" means the Tennessee Department of Health.

(12) "Drug" shall have the same meaning as set forth in T.C.A. § 63-10-204(16).

(13) "General Supervision" means a licensed nurse overseeing with authority an MA who is performing medication administration in a nursing home, assisted care living facility, or P.A.C.E. The delegating licensed nurse shall be immediately available. If not required to be on-site, the delegating nurse shall be immediately available for a two way telephone conversation.

(14) "Licensed Nurse" means a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse licensed under T.C.A. § 63-7-101, et seq., including an advanced practice registered nurse.

(15) "Medication Administration" means giving a drug to a resident to be orally ingested by the resident or topically applied to the resident's body.

(16) "Medication Administration Record" (MAR) means a written or electronic record of the medication ordered for and administered to a patient or resident of a nursing home or assisted care living facility.

(17) "Medication Aide" (MA) means a certified nurse aide who holds a current, valid certificate as a medication aide issued by the Board and who administers medications (pursuant to T.C.A. § 63-7-127) under the general supervision of a licensed nurse.

(18) "Medication Aide Training Program" means a program of study approved by the Board and required for certification as a medication aide.

(19) "Nursing Home" shall have the same meaning as set forth in T.C.A. § 68-11-201.

(20) "P.A.C.E." means a Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly as defined in T.C.A. § 56-2-121(b).

(21) "Patient" or "Resident" means a person receiving the services of a medication aide in a nursing home, assisted care living facility, or P.A.C.E.

(22) "Peer Support Program" means a program that provides monitoring of rehabilitation services to health care professionals who may be impaired by substance abuse or a psychological condition.

(23) "Person" is defined as an individual, natural person.

(24) "PHI" means individually identifiable health information (IIHI) created, received, or maintained by a covered entity and transmitted or maintained in any form or medium. 45 C.F.R. Part 160.103; 42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d- 1320d-8 (HIPAA).

(25) "Prescription" means a written, electronic, or oral order, issued by a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs, for any drug, including an over the counter drug to be used by a particular resident.

(26) "Professional boundaries" means the limits of the professional relationship that allow for a safe therapeutic relationship between the resident and the medication aide.

(27) "Survey visit" means an announced or unannounced visit to a medication aide training program by a representative of the board to determine whether the program meets or maintains the minimum standards required by the board.