The Georgia Certified Medication Aide Program is not complicated to administer, however, in order to stay in compliance with the program, it is important to understand all of the requirements. To make the process easier to understand, Guardian Pharmacy of Atlanta compiled the information for interested parties in one place.
Each staff member who wishes to become a Georgia CMA must be an active and current certified nursing assistant. Once the candidate has been verified – or completes the curriculum – they can then go through CMA training. If a candidate trains in your community, please make sure you have proof of their CMA training in their personnel file. Once the CMA candidate is ready, they must be skills-tested and checked by a registered instructor. An 80 or above on the 50 question state Certified Medication Aide test is considered passing.
Once a candidate passes, a $25 fee must be paid to the CMA registry in order for the CMA to appear as active.
If a new hire has already been certified in Georgia, check their status on the registry to make sure they are certified and in good standing. The candidate will need an initial med pass observation to ensure they are competent in med pass skills as soon as possible after hire.
Next, it is required that each CMA recertify every two years, and must have a skills check conducted annually by a registered instructor using the official skills checklist form. The CMA needs to send a copy of the skills checklist, the CMA renewal form and the $25 recertification fee to the registry prior to the expiration date.
The last requirement is to have a random quarterly med pass observations performed by an RN or pharmacist.
As you can see, there are many parts of administering the CMA program in an assisted living community. Guardian Pharmacy of Atlanta holds 16-hour CMA training classes throughout the metro area and can help you better understand the process and assist in skills checks and testing. If you have any questions, please call Lori Newcomb at 404-309-4958.