The Arkansas Health Care Association recently graduated its third cohort of students in its medication assistant–certified, or MA-C, training program.
The program, which was approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing, is meant to address a growing need for MA-Cs at skilled nursing facilities in the state, according to the association. Tuition and fees are approximately $1,000.
“The MA-C program isn’t just a great opportunity for students looking for hands-on experience in caretaking; it’s an investment in the quality of care at our long-term care facilities,” Rachel Bunch, executive director of the state association, said Tuesday in a press release. “We’re proud of these MA-Cs and the steps they’re taking to offer life-changing care across the state.”
The idea behind the program is to educate certified nursing assistants to dispense particular drugs to nursing home residents under the supervision of a registered nurse. The Arkansas program provides CNAs with 102 hours of specialized training, consisting of 62 theory/classroom hours (including 15 hours in a skills lab) and 40 clinical hours.
The Arkansas MA-C training program is only approved for SNFs at this time, according to the association. Assisted living communities are precluded from participating in the program due to state regulations and Arkansas State Board of Nursing rules.
To be admitted into the MA-C training program, students must have held CNA credentials for at least a year, have at least one year of continuous full-time experience as a CNA in Arkansas and be currently employed at a state nursing board-approved SNF. Also, they must hold a high school diploma and pass a literacy and reading comprehension test.
The recent cohort of graduates:
- Teri Adair, Katherine’s Place at Wedington
- Christopher Deleon, Jamestown Nursing and Rehab
- Ethel Farrington, Katherine’s Place at Wedington
- Demitra Galvan, Highlands of Bella Vista Health and Rehab
- Diana Hernandez, Bradford House Nursing and Rehab
- Joseph Lashmett, North Hills Life Care and Rehab
- Wanda Lockett, Shiloh Nursing and Rehab
- Alicia Miranda Carpio, Jamestown Nursing and Rehab
- Jennifer Ofield, Innisfree Health and Rehab
- Kelsey Pierson, Innisfree Health and Rehab
- Daloris Stueart, North Hills Life Care and Rehab and
- Christin Trobaugh, Apple Creek Health and Rehab.
