Important Medication Information for AINs

Clients are increasingly requesting a Medication Assist or Assisting with Self Medication (or similar) skill competency for AINs.  Therefore, to ensure that your availability to work will not be interrupted, Oxley will be setting this as a mandatory competency.  Having this competency will give AINs an understanding of the role and responsibilities when assisting patients with medication, whilst adding to your individual current skills base.

Evidence of competency

AINs are encouraged to undertake and complete the competency as part of their future mandatory competencies.  Evidence of successful completion of the skill will then need to be provided to Oxley.  This can be in the form of:

• a Certificate of Attendance provided to you at the completion of a course, or
• proof of completion of an on-line course, or
• a Statutory Declaration listing the courses, the facility where you attended each course, and the dates completed.  An example of the type of information required on a Statutory Declaration along with a blank Statutory Declaration is available by clicking here.

Medication Assistance

Please note that Oxley AINs should only give oral medications from a Pharmacist-prepared sealed pack or sheet or the like, which clearly shows the patient's name, patient details, medication name/s, due dates and times.

Oxley AINs should only give oral medications if they have first been deemed competent, i.e.:

• successfully completed a relevant training program;
• there is an existing hospital or facility policy allowing AINs to perform this activity;
• the AIN is confident in performing this task;
• the task forms part of the normal daily role of an AIN at that facility or hospital and is a delegated activitiy; and
• Oxley has received evidence of the attained competency.

Links:

• www.e3learning.com.au (this site has an on-line module)
• www.acqi.org.au (Aged Care Queensland)

Various organisations may offer a program and/or a module or unit.  The above links are a guide only - it is up to individual members to source and research the most appropriate module/unit/course for their specific needs.