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Committee clears bill to expand duties for certified medication assistants in long‑term care
Summary
House Bill 1182, presented to the Senate Public Health committee, would refine the definition of certified medication assistants and permit trained assistants to administer routine insulin and respiratory treatments; the committee voted to pass the bill after industry testimony described training programs and workforce benefits.
Sen. Missy Irvin introduced House Bill 1182 to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee and asked Rachel Bunch, director of the Arkansas Healthcare Association, to explain the measure. Bunch said the association represents long‑term care and post‑acute facilities and described certified medication assistants as a workforce role that sits between certified nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses.
"Medication assistants had been around for a long time," Bunch told the committee, and Arkansas started using the role as a response to workforce shortages. Through an association‑sponsored program, employers across the state have trained and certified more than 300 medication assistants, Bunch said, and those workers provide routine medication passes while nurses concentrate on higher‑level nursing duties.
The bill would update statutory definitions and expand the scope for certified medication assistants to include administration of routine insulin and respiratory treatments after completing training and skills checkoffs. Proponents said similar scopes exist in other states and that the amendment would bring state practice in line with federal expectations and with facilities' staffing needs.
Committee members asked whether the bill would change licensing to a registration model for some programs; sponsors clarified language to change references from "license" to "registration" where appropriate. After brief committee discussion and no opposing testimony, the committee took a voice vote and advanced the bill.
Supporters framed HB 1182 as a workforce and patient‑care measure: it aims to allow nurses to work at the top of their license while creating a career ladder for long‑term care staff. The committee approved the bill to proceed.
