RCFE Certification for Assisted Living Administrators Includes Specialized Training in Medication Management

To become a certified as an administrator in a residential care facility for the elderly in California, a candidate must complete 80 hours of training. One example of a course, as offered by Assisted Living Education, can be completed with six days of in-person classes and 20 days of online coursework. In-person classes to become an RCFE administrator are held in numerous cities, such as Sacramento, Fresno, San Jose and cities in the greater Los Angeles area.

After you get started on your RCFE administrator certification, you'll learn essential information and gain insight in various subjects to become an effective staff member in an assisted living community. Examples include client care, staffing and regulations.

Medication Management

Specialized training in medication management also is required, and the student must pass a test after completion. When you take your California RCFE administrator classes, you'll learn how to help assisted living community residents with taking their required prescription medications as well as any over-the-counter medicines and supplements they choose to take.

Relevant Statistics

Most residents in assisted living communities take some type of prescription medication, and many take several. A survey from the American Association of Retired Persons indicates that more than 75 percent of men and women age 65 and older take at least one prescription drug. More than half of these individuals take at least four.

Storing and Handing Out Medicine, and Keeping Track

Men and women who have the need to reside in an assisted living community may have trouble keeping track of all their medication, and the various requirements for when and how it should be taken. When someone must take four or more different types of prescription drugs every day, the process can get confusing.

That's where RCFE staff members can be very valuable in regard to medication management. Authorized staff members can remind residents when they should take medicine, hand the products to the residents from a general storage area, and document usage history. However, they cannot actually administer any medicine unless they are licensed to do so.

The residents now are not at risk of taking the wrong dose of medicine or taking any of these drugs at the wrong time of day. Those that should be taken with food can be provided at mealtime.

To begin your California RCFE administrator training, you may visit the website of a qualified educational provider and read about the required coursework. Applications can be completed online and fees paid there as well.