Medication Technician

Location: Largo, FL | Department: Nursing | FLSA Status: Non-Exempt | Shifts: Part-time, Full-time, Per Diem

Purpose of Your Job Position

The primary purpose of your job position is to assist licensed nursing staff by administering daily medications as ordered by the physician in accordance with established nursing standards, facility policies and procedures, and state requirements.

Responsibilities

• Delivers routine daily oral, inhalation, and topical medications to residents under direct supervision of a licensed nurse unless otherwise allowed by state law.
• Observes for any adverse drug reactions and reports any problems to the nurse.
• Records medication administration according to company policies and procedures.
• Follows written or verbal instructions on how to manage medications.
• Observes residents for changes and documents changes in their condition accordingly.
• Performs tasks associated with medication administration, including vital signs, medication dose calculations, stocking of the medication carts, and removal of discontinued medications.
• Practices safe handling and storage of medications.
• Ensures that department personnel, residents, and visitors follow the department’s established policies and procedures at all times.
• Develops and maintains a good working rapport with inter-departmental personnel to ensure nursing services and activities are adequately maintained to meet residents' needs.
• Creates and maintains an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest, and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the unit and shift.
• Reviews complaints and grievances made or filed by assigned personnel and reports to the Nurse Supervisor as required.
• Ensures disciplinary action is administered fairly and without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, religion, handicap, or marital status.
• Reports occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials, and hazardous chemicals in accordance with facility policies.
• Checks foods brought into the facility by residents' families/visitors to ensure compliance with dietary allowances and reports issues to the Nurse Supervisor.
• Ensures personnel provide direct care in accordance with residents' care plans and wishes.
• Frequently checks on residents who are unable to call for help.
• Meets with residents and/or family members as necessary and reports problem areas to the Nurse Supervisor.
• Assists in arranging transportation for discharged residents and ensures they are escorted to the pick-up area.
• Monitors assigned personnel to ensure compliance with safety regulations in the use of equipment and supplies.
• Ensures assigned nursing personnel follow established policies and procedures, including dress codes.
• Assists in identifying, evaluating, and classifying routine and job-related functions to ensure proper identification and recording of tasks involving potential exposure to blood/body fluids.
• Ensures personnel performing tasks with potential exposure to blood/body fluids participate in appropriate in-service training.
• Ensures an adequate supply of personal protective equipment is available for personnel.
• Maintains clean and sanitary work areas, including nurses' stations and medicine preparation rooms.
• Ensures resident care rooms and treatment areas are clean, safe, and sanitary.
• Ensures assigned personnel follow established handwashing techniques and infection control procedures.
• Ensures assigned personnel participate in and conduct fire safety and disaster preparedness drills safely.
• Participates in the development, implementation, and maintenance of the infection control program for monitoring communicable and/or infectious diseases.
• Ensures assigned personnel follow established infection control procedures when isolation precautions are necessary.
• Ensures proper use and disposal of personal protective equipment.
• Participates in the development and maintenance of procedures for reporting hazardous conditions or equipment.
• Ensures all personnel wear/use safety equipment when lifting or moving residents.
• Recommends equipment and supply needs of the unit/shift to the Nurse Supervisor.
• Ensures an adequate stock level of medications, medical supplies, and equipment is maintained.
• Participates in the development and implementation of procedures for the safe operation of nursing service equipment.
• Monitors nursing procedures to ensure supplies are used efficiently to avoid waste.
• Maintains confidentiality of all resident care information.
• Monitors nursing care to ensure all residents are treated fairly, with kindness, dignity, and respect.
• Ensures nursing care is provided in privacy and personnel knock before entering residents' rooms.
• Ensures nursing service personnel are knowledgeable of residents' responsibilities and rights, including the right to refuse treatment.
• Reviews and reports complaints and grievances made by residents, taking appropriate action to resolve them.
• Maintains a written record of residents' complaints/grievances, including actions taken and current status.
• Reports and investigates all allegations of resident abuse and/or misappropriation of resident property.
• Ensures nursing staff honor residents' refusal of treatment requests in accordance with facility policies on advance directives.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).
• Medication aide certification.
• Minimum of 1 year of healthcare industry experience or 2 years' experience as a medication aide.
• Good understanding of medical and pharmacological terminology.
• Current CPR certification.
• Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English.
• Ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.
• Ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, and government agencies.
• Knowledge of nursing and medical practices, procedures, and relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines.
• Ability to plan, organize, develop, implement, and interpret programs, goals, objectives, policies, and procedures.
• Patience, tact, cheerful disposition, enthusiasm, and willingness to handle difficult residents.
• Willingness to seek out and incorporate new methods and principles into existing practices.
• Ability to communicate resident conditions effectively.
• Must not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others in the workplace.

Physical and Sensory Requirements

• Ability to move intermittently throughout the workday.
• Ability to speak and write English in an understandable manner.
• Ability to cope with mental and emotional stress of the position.
• Possess sight/hearing senses or use prosthetics to enable these senses to function adequately.
• Ability to function independently, with flexibility, personal integrity, and work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.
• Meet general health requirements set forth by facility policies, including medical and physical examinations.
• Ability to relate to and work with ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and sometimes hostile people.
• Ability to operate office, business, and accounting machines, data processors, and word processors.
• Ability to push, pull, move, and/or lift a minimum of 25 pounds.
• May be required to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergencies.

Working Conditions

• Works in office areas as well as throughout the nursing service area (e.g., drug rooms, nurses' stations, resident rooms).
• Moves intermittently during working hours and is subject to frequent interruptions.
• Involved with residents, personnel, visitors, and government agencies under various conditions and circumstances.
• Subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel, and visitors.
• Communicates with medical staff, nursing personnel, and other department supervisors.
• Works beyond normal working hours and in other positions temporarily when necessary.
• Subject to callback during emergency conditions (e.g., severe weather, evacuation, post-disaster).
• Attends and participates in continuing educational programs.
• Subject to injury from falls, burns from equipment, odors, and reactions from dust, disinfectants, tobacco smoke, and other air contaminants.
• Subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions (including TB, AIDS, and Hepatitis B viruses), and hazardous chemicals.
• Maintains liaison with residents, their families, and support departments to adequately plan for residents' needs.

Safety Factors

• Risk Potential to Blood/Body Fluids: Category I: Tasks involve exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues and require personal protective equipment.