What does a Medication Aide do?
A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.
Medication aide responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medication aide resumes:
- Manage memory unity within facility.
- Provide care for patients in need of long term care and rehabilitation.
- Administer medication according to state laws and guidelines as well as facility guidelines and assist residents with ADL's.
- preserve patient's dignity while providing such duties as bedpan changes, bathing, diapering, emptying catheter and colostomy bags.
- Assist with changing colostomy bags.
- learned to be more efficient with time restraints!
- Assist with the instillation and monitoring of restraints when prescribe.
- Maintain client rooms to ensure optimal levels of cleanliness and sanitation.
- Perform CPR as and when need for first aid effort in resuscitation.
- Work the last 2 years as a STNA in the skilled nursing facility.
- Enhance physician services and resident outcomes via recruitment of CSHP physicians for SNF unit.
- Contract during school year 1986-87 to assist a close head injure student with classroom and rehabilitation activities.
- Work on SNF inquiries while Gabriel are out of the building, as well as on the weekends.
- Maintain clients' dignity while performing duties of daily living such as: emptying bedpans, bathing and toileting.
- Experience with CPR and first aide, diabetes and insulin, wheel chairs, lifts, oxygen tanks and breathing machines.
Medication aide skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Medication Aides are proficient in Compassion, Resident Care, and State Regulations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Medication Aides that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Compassion, 11%
Time management and organizational skills Empathy and compassion Excellent verbal and written communication.
- Resident Care, 11%
Communicate with resident care director of any change of conditions and recommend adjustments in medication administration record for medications.
- State Regulations, 8%
Administer prescribed medications and treatment as defined by state regulations in accordance with company policy and procedure.
- Infection Control, 7%
Demonstrated awareness of proper infection control practice by using Universal precautions
- Incident Reports, 5%
Handled emergency situations, incident reports, documentation communicated to all other staff and family.
- Vital Signs, 5%
Document vital signs, medication administration resident behaviors associated with medication administration and facility incident and accident reports.
"compassion," "resident care," and "state regulations" are among the most common skills that medication aides use at work. You can find even more medication aide responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a medication aide to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what medication aides do because "nursing assistants and orderlies must communicate effectively to address patients’ or residents’ concerns." Additionally, a medication aide resume shows how medication aides use communication skills: "understand communication styles of alzheimer's and schizophrenic patients to give comfort and support when needed. "
Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling medication aide duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "nursing assistants and orderlies assist and care for the sick, injured, and elderly." According to a medication aide resume, here's how medication aides can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "provide highly skilled patient care with compassion and also dignity and respect. "
Patience. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of medication aides is patience. This skill is critical to many everyday medication aide duties, as "the routine tasks of cleaning, feeding, and bathing patients or residents can be stressful." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "administer medications, monitor patience progress condition- behavior, assist taking patients to their dr appt. "
Physical stamina. For certain medication aide responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a medication aide rely on this skill, as "nursing assistants and orderlies spend much of their time on their feet." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what medication aides do: "handled documentation relating to medication distribution, incidents and observations and changes in resident's physical or emotional condition. "
The three companies that hire the most medication aides are:
- Trilogy Health Services86 medication aides jobs
- JEA Senior Living44 medication aides jobs
- Magnolia Health Systems35 medication aides jobs
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Compare different medication aides
Medication aide vs. Prn
A PRN or a "pro re nata" employee is responsible for covering a shift or a specific situation, especially during short-staffing or the need to complete a particular task. The PRNs often work for a medical industry without a regular or full-time commitment, having the freedom to manage their time and take multiple assignments from different organizations. A PRN must have excellent communication and organization skills, providing quality healthcare services to the patients and the organization.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a medication aide are more likely to require skills like "compassion," "resident care," "state regulations," and "infection control." On the other hand, a job as an prn requires skills like "healthcare," "occupational therapy," "physical therapy," and "acute care." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Prns tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $49,871. In contrast, medication aides make the biggest average salary, $39,103, in the manufacturing industry.prns tend to reach higher levels of education than medication aides. In fact, prns are 8.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Medication aide vs. Resident care associate
Resident Care Associates are responsible for providing support and care to individuals living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Their duties include assisting residents with daily tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing, audit care records, as well as making sure patients take their prescribed medications. They implement daily group activities, attend to medical or safety issues, and communicates any concerns to a resident's family members as required.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that medication aide responsibilities requires skills like "state regulations," "infection control," "memory care," and "medication distribution." But a resident care associate might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "administer medications," "rca," "good judgment," and "assist residents."
Resident care associates may earn a lower salary than medication aides, but resident care associates earn the most pay in the media industry with an average salary of $29,599. On the other hand, medication aides receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,103.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Resident care associates tend to reach similar levels of education than medication aides. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medication aide vs. Assisted living administrator
An Assisted Living Administrator oversees an assisted living facility's daily operations that accommodate elderly residents, ensuring that they get optimal care and service. They are responsible for performing managerial tasks such as setting objectives and schedules, managing budgets, liaising with suppliers and other partners, gathering and analyzing data to identify the residents' needs, and monitoring the operations, resolving issues should any arise. They coordinate and delegate responsibilities among staff, regularly reviewing their performances while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, medication aides are more likely to have skills like "compassion," "incident reports," "customer service," and "medication distribution." But a assisted living administrator is more likely to have skills like "direct care," "first aid training," "fluid intake," and "patient care."
Assisted living administrators earn the highest salary when working in the media industry, where they receive an average salary of $29,024. Comparatively, medication aides have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $39,103.Most assisted living administrators achieve a similar degree level compared to medication aides. For example, they're 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medication aide vs. Home health care
Home health aides are healthcare professionals who are responsible for providing support and personal services to patients. These aides are required to monitor their patients by observing the physical and mental condition of their patients. They must provide services such as housekeeping and laundry, buying food and other household requirements, and preparing and serving meals and snacks. Home health aides must also help the family members of their patients by teaching them the appropriate ways to lift, turn, and re-position their positions.
Types of medication aide
Updated January 8, 2025
