Alia Healthcare First To Offer Medication Aide Program In Columbus Approved By Ohio Board Of Nursing

The Ohio Board of Nursing recently approved the application for Alia Health Career Services, a division of Alia Healthcare, to become the first training program in Columbus to provide classroom, laboratory, and clinical training for prospective students seeking to become a Certified Medication Aide (CMA). CMA121 is Alia Health Career Services' first-of-its-kind Certified Medication Aide class and Columbus' first ever Certified Medication Aide Program. Alia Health will be the first school in Columbus to offer a program of this nature and scope. CMA121 students are slated to begin classes August 9, 2010, just in time to join the workforce this Fall as full-fledged Certified Medication Aides. Registration for CMA121 continues throughout the month of July. Seating will be limited to eight students with two alternates for the 2010 graduating class of Certified Medication Aides.

By approving Alia Healthcare's application to provide Medication Aide Certification training, the Ohio Board of Nursing certified that Alia Healthcare met or surpassed the provisions delineated in the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Administrative Code for such offerings.

The five-week, 120-hour course is comprised of 80 hours of classroom instruction which includes didactic lecture and laboratory training in addition to 40 hours of clinical training at a skilled nursing facility. Applicants must have successfully completed their STNA (State Tested Nurse Aide) certification and earned a high school diploma or GED in order to be considered for the medication aide certification (see YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtfAuhtXkrQ). To help prospective students fulfill the prerequisites required for the CMA course, Alia Health offers GED classes free of charge, as well as day, evening, and weekend STNA classes (see YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDqLwAZyZK8). A high school diploma is not required in order to register for the STNA class. In order to apply to become a CMA, candidates must also be at least 18 years of age, complete an approved medication aide training course such as the one Alia Health offers, submit an application to the Ohio Board of Nursing and undergo a civil and Federal background check. If the CMA is employed by a residential care facility and will be administering medications to residents, they must obtain a minimum of one year direct care experience. If the applicant seeks to administer medication to residents at a nursing home, they must first at least be an STNA.

"Ohio patients will benefit from having Certified Medication Aides participate in their health care since their presence will allow Registered Nurses (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) to focus on other responsibilities, such as one-on-one patient care," says Abed Osman, Executive Director of Clinical Operations at Alia Healthcare Services. Under Ohio law, a CMA may administer schedule III, IV, and V controlled substances, oral and topical medications, medications administered as nasal spray or as drops or ointment to a resident's eye, ear or nose, rectal or vaginal medication, and inhalants delivered by inhalers, nebulizers, or aerosols to patients as delegated by a Registered Nurse. "With the approval of the Ohio Board of Nursing, Alia Health Career Services is proud to be among the select few programs in Ohio permitted to provide the requisite training for Certified Medication Aides. The partnership between a CMA and nursing staff can only serve to improve the quality of health care in the State of Ohio," says Osman.

For application materials or additional information, contact Abed Osman at (614) 847-3617 or email him at [email protected].

The mission of Alia Health Career Services is to be the primary source and instrument for medical careers by empowering students with knowledge, skills and ambitions.

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