MACE Role and Authorized Duties 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statement BEST describes the medication aide's legal accountability?
- The supervising nurse is solely responsible for all errors
- The medication aide is responsible for their own actions within their scope of practice (Correct answer)
- The facility administrator bears full legal liability for medication errors
- Legal accountability only applies to licensed nurses and physicians
Correct answer: The medication aide is responsible for their own actions within their scope of practice
Medication aides are individually accountable for actions they perform within their certified scope of practice.
Question 2: A medication aide is asked by a family member what medications their loved one is taking. How should the aide respond?
- Provide a full list of medications to maintain family trust
- Decline to share and direct the family to the nurse or charge nurse (Correct answer)
- Share only the names but not the dosages
- Refer the family to the pharmacy directly
Correct answer: Decline to share and direct the family to the nurse or charge nurse
Sharing resident medication information requires consideration of HIPAA; the medication aide should refer the family to the supervising nurse.
Question 3: A medication aide finds an unlabeled medication cup at the bedside of a resident. What is the correct action?
- Administer it if it looks like the resident's usual medication
- Discard it and notify the supervising nurse (Correct answer)
- Return it to the medication cart for later use
- Ask the resident if they know what the medication is
Correct answer: Discard it and notify the supervising nurse
Unlabeled medications must never be administered; they should be discarded and the nurse notified immediately.
Question 4: Which document must a medication aide follow when administering medications?
- The resident's personal medication list kept by family
- The Medication Administration Record (MAR) (Correct answer)
- The pharmacist's shipping invoice
- The previous aide's handwritten notes
Correct answer: The Medication Administration Record (MAR)
The Medication Administration Record (MAR) is the official, authorized document medication aides must use to guide and record all medication administration.
Question 5: A medication aide is asked to perform a fingerstick blood glucose check before giving a diabetic resident their insulin. What should the aide do?
- Perform the glucose check since it is related to medication administration
- Refuse and notify the nurse, as glucose checks are outside the medication aide scope
- Perform the check only if trained and authorized per state regulations (Correct answer)
- Ask another resident to demonstrate how the device works first
Correct answer: Perform the check only if trained and authorized per state regulations
Whether a medication aide may perform glucose checks depends on state regulations and facility authorization; the aide must act only within their specific certified scope.
Question 6: What is the medication aide's responsibility regarding controlled substance count?
- They may perform the count alone at the end of their shift
- They must perform the count with a licensed nurse as required by policy (Correct answer)
- Controlled substance counts are only the pharmacist's responsibility
- Medication aides are prohibited from being present during controlled substance counts
Correct answer: They must perform the count with a licensed nurse as required by policy
Controlled substance counts must be performed with a licensed nurse to ensure accuracy and accountability.
Question 7: When is it appropriate for a medication aide to contact emergency services (911) directly?
- Whenever a resident has a minor complaint
- When a resident shows signs of a medical emergency and the nurse is not immediately available (Correct answer)
- Only after getting written authorization from the administrator
- Never; the medication aide must always wait for the nurse
Correct answer: When a resident shows signs of a medical emergency and the nurse is not immediately available
In a life-threatening emergency, the medication aide must activate emergency services immediately if the nurse is not available, then notify the nurse.
MACE Role and Authorized Duties 3
Which statement BEST describes the medication aide's legal accountability?