HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) at Hanceville Nursing and Rehab Center (HNRC) will soon be able to add a new certification to their resumes. A new program, Medication Administration Certification (MAC), pioneered by Wallace State Community College, will provide training which will allow CNAs to administer many everyday medications to the patients in their care.
Six HNRC CNAs were selected to participate in the program at Wallace State: Crystal Rush, Andrea Horton, Marcus Harris, Ashley Emmert, Jessica Boyd and Raven Posey
“The MAC program is a first of its kind in the state of Alabama, and we are so pleased that Wallace State was a pioneer to help make a career ladder for Certified Nursing Assistants to further their education and skills,” said a statement from HNRC. “The MACs will step up and assist in medication administration, working alongside a licensed nurse. This will further allow for more in-depth nursing care for our residents.”
HNRC Human Resources Coordinator Erica Blankenship is excited about the new opportunities the MAC program will bring, saying, “They are going to be able to administer medications- so they are not quite a nurse, but they will get a certification to do this.”
Although the program will still not certify a CNA to administer narcotics or pain medications, it will certify them to administer everyday medicines.
Said Blankenship, “It’s the first, I am going to say in the state, because Alabama does not do this.”
She said other states have implemented similar programs.
“It’s just something very new and we are very excited because it’s the first of its kind,” Blankenship said.
HNRC will pay the tuition for its six selected CNAs to participate in the new MAC program at Wallace State.
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