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Medication assistant with patient

Medication Assistant

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Degree Type
2-credit Technical Certificate

Program Code
40-510-CB

Time to Degree
Less than 1 year

Start Date
Year-Round

How You'll Learn

  • Daytime

This is a contracted course that is only offered in collaboration with your employer.

This competency-based certificate is designed for certified Nursing Assistants who will, upon completion, be involved with administration/distribution of medications to residents in a skilled care nursing facility. Employer approval, proof of work experience and a pre-enrollment assessment are required.

How To Register

To register, the participant and their employer must submit the following forms:

Completed by Employer:

  1. Recommendation by Administrator
  2. Recommendation by Preceptor 
  3. Recommendation by two Long-Term Care Staff Nurses

Completed by Student:

  1. High School Diploma or GED (send with application)
  2. Authorization to Release Information to the Sponsoring Institution

Training contract must be signed by participant's administrator. No late applications will be accepted. Contact Sally Christiansen to request an application.

Program Requirements

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Student Requirements

The student must:

  • Be currently employed in a skilled nursing facility with current federal eligibility.
  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Have a high school diploma or HSED.
  • Be on the State of Wisconsin Nurse Aide Directory.
  • Have at least 2,000 hours of experience in direct patient care in a skilled nursing facility within the last three years prior to registration
  • Have worked a minimum of 40 hours within the last 90 days and prior to the start of the course, caring for the same skilled nursing home residents the student will be caring for during clinical.
  • Be recommended in writing by the Director of Nursing and Administrator of the skilled nursing facility in which the student will be completing the clinical hours.
  • Be recommended in writing by two licensed nurses, one of who must be a RN.
  • Have a signed commitment from the RN preceptor.
Employer Requirements

The employer must:

  • Verify hours of employment and related information.
  • Provide signatures from Administrator and Director of Nursing.
  • Provide one RN preceptor who agrees to work with the student during all 40 of the clinical hours. The RN preceptor must participate in a one-hour phone meeting with the faculty prior to the start of the course. The role of preceptor cannot be transferred from one RN to another once clinical starts. See Facility Requirements for more information related to the RN preceptor.
  • Provide a signed agreement from RN preceptor.
  • Provide recommendations from two unit nurses.
  • Verify blood pressure and apical pulse skills.
  • Confirm that the facility does not have a Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) prohibition.
  • Depending on access, assist student with use of computer and printer for course materials. 
  • Sign a training contract with the WCTC Corporate Training Center; employers will be invoiced for the program during the first week of training.

Schedule Details

This 100-hour program consists of 60 hours of classroom and skills and 40 hours of clinical. The first eight weeks are held on campus or on site with your employer. After successfully completing the lecture and lab portion, the 40 clinical hours take place in the employer's facility with an RN from the facility acting as a preceptor.

Find specific dates in the "Upcoming Dates" tab above.

Contact Information

Sally Christiansen
schristiansen@wctc.edu