MACE Cheat Sheet

Under no circumstances is correct; accepting verbal or telephone orders requires clinical licensure (like an RN or LPN) and is strictly prohibited for Medication Aides. Accepting an order for an over-the-counter medication is tempting because it seems low-risk, but MA-Cs cannot accept any orders, regardless of the medication type. Accepting the order because the nurse is unavailable is tempting to help out, but scope of practice boundaries cannot be crossed for convenience; the prescriber must wait or call back. Reading the order back is a standard safety practice for nurses taking verbal orders, but it does not grant the MA-C the authority to take the order in the first place.

To ensure safety and adhere to the Six Rights, a Medication Aide must prepare and administer medications for only one resident at a time. Pre-pouring or 'batching' medications is strictly prohibited. Labeling cups might seem like a safe workaround, but pre-pouring medications for multiple residents at once is an unsafe practice that significantly increases the risk of mixing up medications. Administering within the one-hour time window is a requirement for the Right Time, but meeting this rule does not justify the unsafe practice of pre-pouring medications for multiple people. Seeking nurse approval is usually the right step when unsure, but a delegating nurse cannot authorize a Medication Aide to violate fundamental, non-negotiable medication safety standards.

Dizziness upon standing is a sign of orthostatic hypotension, a common side effect of antihypertensives. The priority is resident safety (keeping him seated/lying down to prevent a fall) and immediately reporting the adverse effect to the nurse. This is tempting because assisting a resident is a standard care task, but standing him up when he is already dizzy from blood pressure medication puts him at high risk for a fall (orthostatic hypotension). This is tempting as hydration can affect blood pressure, but it is outside the MA-C's scope to independently prescribe a fluid intervention for a sudden adverse symptom. This is incorrect because while documentation is required, the MA-C cannot independently decide to hold future doses without the nurse's direction, and this option ignores the immediate safety risk.