Res. No. 642

Resolution calling on New York State to extend eligibility for the New York Medication Aide Certification to certified nursing assistants.

By Council Members Narcisse, Louis and Riley

Whereas, According to the United States (U.S.) Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 3,130,600 registered nurses were employed in the U.S. in 2021; and

Whereas, Per BLS, employment of registered nurses is projected to increase 6 percent nationally between 2021 and 2031, to an estimated total of 3,326,000 registered nurses; and

Whereas, The U.S. Census Bureau data show that the number of Americans aged 65 years and older expanded from 41 million in 2011 to 71 million in 2019; and

Whereas, BLS forecasts that demand for nurses in the U.S. will grow in tandem with the size of the U.S. population aged 65 years and older, because it is the age of increased need for healthcare services; and

Whereas, BLS estimates that, on average, there will be approximately 203,200 job openings for registered nurses in the U.S. annually between 2021 and 2031; and

Whereas, Per a report by the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH), as of August 2020, in New York State, there was a need for an estimated additional 34,239 registered nurses and 15,727 licensed practical nurses; and

Whereas, A 2018 study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality projected that by 2030, New York State will have a shortage of 20,017 registered nurses; and 

Whereas, As reported by NYS DOH, as of August 2020, in New York City, there was a need for an estimated additional 15,769 registered nurses and 7,747 licensed practical nurses; and

Whereas, Numerous drivers contribute to the nursing shortage, including a strain of treating the aging population with its co-morbidities and chronic conditions, aging nursing workforce, nursing faculty shortage, emotional and physical abuse in healthcare setting, burnout, and family responsibilities such as childcare; and

Whereas, The nursing shortage may contribute to higher patient mortality rates, higher hospital readmission rates, higher rates of infection, and longer hospital stays; and

Whereas, One approach to addressing the aforesaid concerns is to expand the scope of practice for certified nursing assistants, who are usually tasked with duties of monitoring the health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a hospital or a nursing facility; and

Whereas, Currently, NYS DOH, in partnership with Pearson VUE, administers the New York Medication Aide Certification Examination (MACE), but only to certified home health aides who have successfully completed an approved Advanced Home Health Aide Training Program; and

Whereas, Successful completion of MACE qualifies a certified home health aide to perform certain advanced tasks, including dispensing medication and monitoring reaction to it, as an Advanced Home Health Aide under the direct supervision of a registered professional nurse employed by the same hospice, home care agency, or enhanced assisted living residence; and 

Whereas, Certified nursing assistants’ scope of practice could be expanded to include medication administration and management, if they were eligible for the New York Medication Aide Certification, which would help mitigate the nursing shortage by reducing nurses’ workload; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on New York State to extend eligibility for the New York Medication Aide Certification to certified nursing assistants.

LS #12582

05/10/2023

AZ