Med Assist
Med Assist is an online program that is intended for employees who assist the people they support with medication, as well as supervisors who oversee the process. This program can be accessed at any time and completed at each person’s individual pace (over the 30-day access period).
Med Assist
This program is geared toward employees who don’t have medical training and consists of eight (8) modules that outline practical information on best practices in assisting the people they support with medication.
Med Assist is a user-friendly program that takes approximately three (3) to four (4) hours to complete and is presented through text, videos, and complete narration to appeal to a variety of learning styles. Each module has a knowledge check at the end to reinforce learning, as well as a final exam at the end of program. A minimum score of 90 percent is required to successfully complete this training. The Med Assist Certificate of Completion, along with the organization’s on-site training for medication assistance, will help ensure and maintain the high standard of knowledge needed for employees to safely assist people they support with medication.
NEW! Med Assist now provides module workbooks, additional resources, updated content to include 7 Rights of Medication Assistance, videos, and a three-year certification!
Learners have 30 days to complete the Med Assist program.
The Med Assist Certificate of Completion will be valid for a three-year period, from the date of completion.
Supervisors
An organization’s Medication Assistance Training Program should consist of two parts:
- The online Med Assist course.
- The organization’s on-site medication assistance training, as led by the supervisor.
The elements of the organization’s on-site training for medication assistance is discussed in detail in Med Assist. Completing this step is key for employees assisting with medication, as they will learn more about:
- Each person that they will support with medication.
- The organization’s medication assistance policy.
- How to safely assist someone with medication through on-site demonstrations.
As a supervisor, you will lead this process. To help guide the in-house training portion at your organization, we have developed the Organization’s On-site Training for Medication Assistance resource, and the Organization’s On-Site Training for Medication Assistance Record and Checklist for Supervisors to use.
Modules include:
The first module explores the roles of all team members, both external and internal to the organization, when assisting with medication.
This module will look at the reasons why people take medication, the benefits and dangers of taking medication, adverse reactions that can occur, special considerations, and specialized procedures.
This module will discuss some medication terms, common abbreviations and what they mean, how to read and understand medication labels, how to use medication information sheets, and how to document on medication record sheets.
In this module you will learn about how medication is commonly packaged, and how to receive, store, transport, and dispose of it.
This module will focus on the foundational 7 Rights of medication assistance and how to use them every time you assist a person with their medication.
Learn about the importance of documentation and using your observation skills when assisting anyone with medication. This will also include looking at medication errors, why they happen, and what to do if they happen.
This module focuses on everything you need to do before assisting with medication, such as infection control, preparing the medication, and implementing the 7 Rights of medication assistance throughout the preparation process.
The final module in this course will provide information on how to assist someone with their medication in a person-centred way, as well as provide a number of demonstration videos.
Alberta Organizations
The Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS) has reviewed SARC’s Med Assist program to assess alignment with the Creating Excellence Together (CET) Standards. This is to ensure that any standards established in the CET, but not addressed in the curriculum, can be met at the time of delivery.
This was undertaken at the request of numerous organizations to provide an additional opportunity to address these proficiencies. The Med Assist program meets the CET requirements for training to be provided by a licensed practitioner.
Click here to access the Alberta addendum.
COMPASS funding is available to SARC Regular and Associate Members, as well as Affiliate Members with CLSD funding.
COMPASS funding will cover the registration fees for an unlimited number of employees to take Med Assist.
In order to receive this funding, organizations must:
- Register employee(s) at your organization for the course.
- Use your COMPASS code at check-out to access this training at no cost.
- Have the employee complete the immediate session evaluation.
- Have the employee complete the follow-up session evaluation which will be emailed to them.
As a requirement of CLSD COMPASS funding, SARC must report on training satisfaction rates. As a result, we ask that all learners complete individual program evaluations immediately upon finishing any training, as well as within three (3) to four (4) months of completion. Your feedback will also be used to ensure that SARC continues to provide the best training possible.
