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I am not sure why there is such an issue with the re-cert course. The
"Standardized Curriculum" teaches all of the components in the re-cert course.
Whether or not the CRMA's do this on a regular basis or not, they should know
how to perform the expected duties as outlined and taught in the "Standardized
Curriculum". The competency component only assesses their ability to
perform their duties as they should have been taught according to the "Standardized
Curriculum".
I do not know if this will be at all helpful to any of you or not, but the
day of the pilot class this is how it went:
Students arrived.
Paper work process completed.
Expectations of the Class explained to the students.
Transcription exercise done by the students. (They were allowed to use
their peers as reference and/or drug books.)
Transcription second check by peers and then by the instructor.
Hand-washing was done by each of the students with the instructor observing.
Medication pass, according to the MAR they produced, inclusive of Vital
Signs, was observed and students were asked for explanations or procedures for
those items not done in the mock med pass.
LUNCH
Students returned after lunch and signed in for the afternoon.
Manuals were handed out.
Review of the material in the manual was done.
Questions and/or concerns were answered on an ongoing basis during the
review.
Final exam was given and corrected.
Information in the manual for the re-cert is information that was asked for
by the group who worked on the formulation of the re-cert course. Many of
you who were on the committee whose recommendations were taken into
consideration and utilized are those who seem to be doing the most complaining about it.
If we do not teach the CRMA the systems of measurement and expect them to
know them as well as abbreviations, aren't we setting them up for medication
errors and maybe serious problems for the residents they serve? Do they not
need to know this to be able to transcribe orders effectively and pick up on
possible problems? Why do we expect less of the people administering
medications to the people we serve than we do of those that take care of the elderly
in NF's and SNF's who are non-professional? I am not understanding this at
all. I would sure like to know that if I were a Resident that the person
giving me medications knew the difference between mcg, mg, gm, gtt, cc, tsp, gr,
etc. They may not have to calculate but they should know what measurements
are and how they compare with other systems of measurement, especially with
drugs. I would also not want to be the Resident who receives meds from the CRMA
who just transcribed a new order for me and didn't do it with 100% accuracy.
In the over 800 facilities in the State, I cannot believe that they all
have the availability of an RN or LPN to transcribe orders. On the Mental
Health side, I know for a fact that this does not happen. Some agencies/programs
are lucky to have an RN consultant or an RN on staff.
The question portion allows the instructor to assess those areas that are
not covered in the mock med pass. Shouldn't they know how to give a
suppository? How to document Schedule II drugs? Apply topicals? Etc.
Students are given 2 tries with the competency component. Do we give them
that second chance in the "real world" should they make a serious error because
they did not know what they were expected to know?
I always thought the purpose of this list serve was to be able to
communicate amongst the Instructors delivering the CRMA courses. Although some of that
has occurred, I find that we spend a great deal more of our time tearing
things apart instead of ACTIVELY discussing issues or seeking help and/or
guidance from one another. (Myself included.) As it was one of my facilities that
was chosen for the pilot program of the re-cert course, and feedback from the
students that was taken into consideration prior to the completion of the
Recert course being posted, I find it very interesting that no one has bothered
to send out any questions regarding the Pilot, how it was done, how it went,
problems, glitches, student response, etc. Instead it seem to be the
mind-set to tear it down.
If the concern is giving students materials prior to the course, I would
strongly recommend that you have them review particular units of the Bridge
Course or the Standardized 5 day Curriculum.
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