PDFWAC 246-827-0240
Medical assistant-certified—Administering medications and injections.
A medical assistant-certified shall be deemed competent by the delegating health care practitioner prior to administering any drug authorized in this section. Drugs must be administered under a valid order from the delegating health care practitioner and shall be within the delegating health care practitioner's scope of practice. The order must be in written form or contained in the patient's electronic health care record.
(1) Drug administration shall not be delegated when:
(a) The drug may cause life-threatening consequences or the danger of immediate and serious harm to the patient;
(b) Complex observations or critical decisions are required;
(c) A patient is unable to physically ingest or safely apply a medication independently or with assistance; or
(d) A patient is unable to indicate awareness that he or she is taking a medication.
(2) To administer medications, the delegator shall ensure a medical assistant-certified receives training concerning: Dosage, technique, acceptable route(s) of administration, appropriate anatomic sites, expected reactions, possible adverse reactions, appropriate intervention for adverse reaction, and risk to the patient. The delegator must ensure a medical assistant-certified is competent to administer the medication.
(3) A medical assistant-certified is prohibited from administering:
(a) Schedule II controlled substances, chemotherapy agents, or experimental drugs; or
(b) Medications through a central intravenous line.
(4) Except as provided in subsection (1) of this section, a medical assistant-certified may administer controlled substances in schedules III, IV, and V or other legend drugs when authorized by the delegating health care practitioner. Drugs shall be administered only by unit or single dosage or by a dosage calculated and verified by a health care practitioner. A medical assistant-certified shall only administer drugs by the level of supervision based on the route as described in subsection (5) of this section.
(5) A medical assistant-certified may only administer medications by the following drug category, route and level of supervision:
Drug Category | Routes Permitted* | Level of Supervision Required |
Controlled substances, schedule III, IV, and V | Oral, topical, rectal, otic, ophthalmic, or inhaled routes | Immediate supervision |
Subcutaneous, intradermal, intramuscular, or peripheral intravenous injections | Direct visual supervision | |
Other legend drugs | All other routes | Immediate supervision |
Peripheral intravenous injections | Direct visual supervision |
* | A medical assistant-certified is prohibited from administering medications through a central intravenous line. |
(6) A medical assistant-certified may not start an intravenous line. A medical assistant-certified may interrupt an intravenous line, administer an injection, and restart at the same rate.