REQUIREMENTS FOR PRACTICING AS A MEDICATION AIDE
This is not a complete or comprehensive review of requirements for certification. Refer to 16.12.5 NMAC – Medication Aides for all CMA application requirements.
Any person who wants to practice as a medication aide in the State of New Mexico must hold a certificate issued by the NM Board of Nursing (BON). An individual may become a Certified Medication Aide (CMA) in one of three ways:
- Candidates can become certified by examination by successfully completing a board-approved training program, submitting an application and other required documents, paying a fee to the Board of Nursing, and obtaining a passing score of 80% or more on a board-approved examination (16.12.5.9.A-E NMAC). Information about Rules, training programs, and examination dates may be found below.
- Graduate nurses and nursing students who are currently enrolled in a nursing program are required to submit an application and other required documents and pay a fee. They must be employed at an agency with a board approved medication aide training program, and the program’s nurse educator must submit directly to the BON a statement confirming that the applicant is employed by the agency and upon certification will work as a CMA under the nurse educator’s direction (16.12.5.9.G NMAC). Information about Rules and examination dates may be found below.
- Individuals who have been certified in another state must submit an application and other required documents and pay a fee. They must then obtain a passing score of 80% or more on a board-administered examination (16.12.5.9.F NMAC). Information about Rules, training programs, and examination dates may be found below.
All CMA candidates must submit an online application. The application can be accessed from the Board of Nursing website home page under Online Services: Exam/ReExam/Endorsement Application. Applicants should monitor the status of their applications in their BON nurse portal accounts and submit any questions through the Message Center. Click here for additional information about application requirements.
Exam admission letter. Upon verification that an applicant has met the requirements for examination, an exam admission letter will be uploaded to the applicant’s personal account in the BON Nurse Portal. The letter is required for admission to the examination and contains information about the date, time, location and testing requirements. Candidates who have not received an exam admission letter by one week before the exam should immediately submit a query through their account Message Center.
Recertification (renewal). Initial certificates will expire in the holder’s birth month immediately following the first anniversary of the initial date of certification. After renewal, the term will be two years. While the BON provides notification of pending renewal status as a courtesy, it is the holder’s responsibility to know their certificate expiration date and renew it on time. Practicing without a current certificate will result in disciplinary action. CMAs who hold both CMA I and CMA II certificates and want to renew both of them will need to submit two separate applications.
Recertification requirements may be found in the Rules (16.12.5.9.E NMAC). The renewal application can be accessed from the BON website home page under Online Services. Applicants are required to upload proof of their continuing education units when they submit the application for recertification.
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rules for Medication Aides. The Rules contain information about certification and recertification requirements, standards of function, disciplinary action, and training program requirements.
Board-approved medication aide training programs. A list of currently approved training programs with addresses and telephone numbers.
MEDICATION AIDE I AND II EXAMINATION INFORMATION
Examination dates Application deadlines
January 16, 2019 December 16, 2018
March 20, 2019 February 20, 2019
May 15, 2019 April 15, 2019
July 17, 2019 June 17, 2019
September 18, 2019 August 18, 2019
November 13, 2019 October 13, 2019
All examinations are administered at the New Mexico Board of Nursing office located at 6301 Indian School NE, Suite 710, Albuquerque NM 87110 unless otherwise stated in the admission letter. A map link is available on the NMBON website, http://nmbon.sks.com/.
All examinations will begin at either 9:00 AM or 1:00 PM unless otherwise stated in the admission letter. Candidates should arrive no fewer than 15 minutes before the starting time. Candidates should review their admission letters carefully for date, time and location of the examination.
No one will be admitted to the examination without their admission letter and a valid, current, picture ID. No one will be admitted to the examination after the designated start time.