Certified Medicine Aide Program

Become a Trusted Provider of Patient Care

The Certified Medicine Aide (CMA) Program prepares Geriatric Nursing Assistants (GNAs) to administer specific medications to residents in a Maryland nursing home under the supervision of a nurse or physician. This program has been approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing.

Approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing, our 80-hour medicine aide course includes 48 hours of theory and 32 hours of clinical. Some topics include administering non-parental medications, procedures and techniques for administering drugs, drug classification, drug solutions, measurements, and standards.

Become a CMA

1. Open to geriatric nursing assistants working in Maryland nursing homes with proof of one-year, full-time work experience.
2. Must present a letter of recommendation from the current director of nursing.
3. Must be in good standing with the Maryland Board of Nursing.
4. Take and pass the Reading Accuplacer Test, scoring at least 250 or higher.
5. Register for both CMA Theory and Clinical.
6. Pay for the course
7. Complete the program successfully.

Note: Students must have a social security number (SSN) or tax ID number to complete the program successfully.

Program Costs

• HES-666 CMA Theory: $630.
• HES-667 CMA Clinical: $450.
• CMA Textbook: Hartman’s Complete Guide for The Medication Aide.
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) card certified by the American Heart Association.
• Medical records: Recent PPD/TB skin test, COVID-19 vaccination card, and a recent flu vaccine.

Certified Medicine Aide Update

This course provides the Continuing Education update required by the State of Maryland to renew the medicine aide certificate. Students may only register up to two months before or one month after their birthday. Students must be listed on the Maryland Board of Nursing registry as "Active" and, when registering, must have a letter from the Director of Nursing that shows proof of 100 hours of employment as a Certified Medicine Aide (CMA) within the last two years, and eight hours as a Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA).

Program Costs

• NRC-303 Nursing Home Medicine Aide Update: $105
• Certified Medicine Aide Update Booklet.
  *Emailed to students the week of the course start date.

Spring 2025 Schedule

NRC-303-14978 | CMA Update | Saturday | 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. | 01/18/2025 | Virtual/Canvas
NRC-303-14979 | CMA Update | Saturday | 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. | 02/15/2025 | Virtual/Canvas
NRC-303-14980 | CMA Update | Saturday | 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. | 03/15/2025 | Virtual/Canvas

Contact Information

Certified Medicine Aide
Phone: (301) 546-0745
Email: wdcehealthcare@pgcc.edu