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Certified Medication Aide (CMA)

Kansas Promise Scholarship logo on blue background

Your tuition could be paid for!

This program is eligible for the Kansas Promise Scholarship. See if you qualify.

Increase your marketability as a Certified Nurse Aide with this specialized certification. Give us 12 weeks and 80 hours of your time, and we’ll give you the skills you’ll need to successfully pass the Kansas Certified Medication Aide examination.

What Will I Learn?

As a Certified Medication Aide (CMA), you’ll have the know-how to safely and properly dispense medications. JCCC’s Certified Medication Aide program gives you 80 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on clinical experience working in a long-term care facility.

And because life is busy enough, you can choose from day or evening classes to best suit your schedule.

Topics covered include:

  • Commonly used drugs and interactions with food and other drugs
  • Legal implications and regulations related to administration and record keeping
  • Biological effects of medications on the elderly
  • Basic safety principles and techniques to safely prepare and distribute medications
For educational and additional requirements for certification as a medication aide, see JCCC’s professional licensure disclosures.

Requirements:

You must provide copies of the following:

  • Current Two-Step TB skin test results or negative chest X-ray within the last year
  • Social Security Card - Legible copy
  • Current CPR for Health Care Providers certification card
  • Current Kansas CNA certification

ACCUPLACER Score Requirements

You must have completed Composition I (ENGL 121) with a C or better or achieved an appropriate score (see jccc.edu/admissions/enrollment/prerequisites) on the ACCUPLACER (see Testing Services) reading test within the last five years before enrolling in the CMA program. If you passed the ACCUPLACER reading test prior to Spring 2019 and achieved a score of 65 or higher, your score is valid for five years. COMPASS scores are no longer valid.

Need to Renew Your CMA Certificate?

Kansas requires CMAs to renew their certificate every two years. JCCC’s Certified Medication Aide Update meets the state requirements for recertification. This one-hour class is offered on the main campus and online.

On the first day of class, please bring copies of your Social Security Card, CNA card and CMA card, plus a check or money order payable to KDADS for $20. We’ll submit a roster of CMAs who complete the update course for certificate renewal.

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Tuition

Tuition varies according to where you live. See JCCC Tuition and Payment Deadlines for precise information. The number of credit hours for each program is listed below. 

CNA - 5 credit hours
CNA Refresher - 1 credit hour
CMA - 4 credit hours
CMA Update - 1 credit hour
Home Health Aide - 1 credit hour

Additional Estimated Costs

Books

All CNA Refresher, CMA Update and Home Health Aide books and supplies are outlined by instructor. The JCCC Bookstore has the lists you need.

Supplies

All CNA and CMA students must have the following:

  • Health Occupations T-shirt  - approx. $10
  • Gait Belt (available at the JCCC Bookstore) - approx. $10
  • Hunter green uniform pants (available at the JCCC Bookstore - no elasticized cuff or denim material) - $15
  • White shoes (no canvas, must have enclosed heel or heel strap and no open areas on the toe box)
  • CNA and CMA Students Only: Watch with a sweep second hand - approx. $18

Certifications (CNA and CMA students only)

  • Basic Life Support (CPR) for Healthcare Provider certification by the American Heart Association (if you don’t already have it).
  • A negative TB skin test or negative chest X-ray within one year of the class end date.  A two-step TB skin test may be required.

JCCC works hard to make tuition affordable for you. Our goal is to provide all of our students with the means to enroll in continuing education opportunities. The CMA program is just one of these opportunities at JCCC.

There are several things to consider when budgeting for college. Visit our Cost of Attendance page for detailed information.

If you need tuition assistance, we offer scholarships to help. You can also apply for grants and loans to help cover the cost of tuition. Speak to our financial aid team to learn more about your options.

Here’s what we offer:

Download the Health Occupations Program Outlook (PDF) for employment projections and salary information.