Medical Assistant Scope of Practice Debate On Administering IV Therapy

Please Note: The information contained on this page is provided for information purposes only and should not be considered legal advice, nor is it a substitute or interpretation of regulations established by authorities having jurisdiction over practicing doctors, nurses and their medical assistants in your state. Please contact your State Board of Medical Examiners directly for specific advice, official business, or consult with your attorney. We cannot provide this information to you.

New Rules for Medical Assistants!

Revised CAAHEP standards and guidelines for Medical Assisting Educational Programs indicate that the curriculum of an accredited medical assistant training program must now include the principles of IV therapy. According to the AAMA, a medical assistant is allowed to place an IV line, initiate an IV line and administer IV medications after having received PROPER training (ONLY!) and only as permitted by their particular state law (Check State Medical Examiner/State Medical Board statutes). Any questions about the legal principles discussed in this article should be directed to AAMA Executive Director and Legal Counsel Donald A. Balasa, JD, MBA at dbalasa@aama-ntl.org or (800)28-2262.

Latest Debates Revolving Around the Medical Assistant's Scope of Practice:

Preventable medical errors kill and seriously injure hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. The latest issue and debates revolve around medical assistants starting and disconnecting IV lines, administering Botox® injectons, or administering phototherapy in an UV booth. Recently, from a discussion in our medical assistant web forum, we learned how an unsuspecting medical assistant was reprimanded and suspended on the spot because of this confusion.

In Alaska:
Under Alaska's Statute and Administrative Code properly trained and certified medical assistants are allowed to insert urinary catheters and they can start IV tubing. They also are allowed to administer medications as ordered into an IV under the direction of a physician.

In Connecticut:
Connecticut has addressed guidelines for delegation of tasks by Licensed Nurses to unlicensed medical assistive personnel.

In California:
California state law requires all medical assisting personnel that draw blood have California DHS approved phlebotomy technician certification.

• Preventable Incidents
• Prevention of IV Tubing Errors