Nurses, Nursing - As enacted, revises various provisions regarding medication aides, including allowing for a student in good standing enrolled in an approved school of nursing to be eligible to receive a medication aide, the official text

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State f/JettneSsee

                             PUBLIC CHAPTER NO. 813

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 2427

                                                              By Crowe

                                            Substituted for: House Bill No. 2351

                 By Littleton, Pearson, Crawford, Parkinson, Renea Jones, Alexander, Harris

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 7, relative to medication aides.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

          SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-7-127(e), is amended by deleting the
subsection and substituting:

                    (e) To be eligible to receive a medication aide certificate, an applicant must:

                              (1) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age;

                              (2) Have completed the twelfth grade or its equivalent, or have successfully
                    passed the test for and received a high school equivalency credential approved by
                    the state board of education;

                              (3) Have successfully completed a course of instruction provided by a training
                    program approved by the board under subsection (i);

                              (4) Have passed a standardized knowledge and skill examination within a
                    maximum of two (2) attempts; and

                              (5) Meet one (1) of the following criteria:

                                        (A) Have practiced as a certified nurse aide for at least one (1) year in
                              a nursing home, assisted-care living facility, or a program for all-inclusive care
                              for the elderly (PACE), as defined in§ 56-2-121(b);

                                        (B) Have practiced as a licensed occupational therapy assistant for at
                              least one (1) year in a nursing home, assisted-care living facility, or a PACE,
                              as defined in§ 56-2-121(b); or

                                        (C) Be a student in good standing enrolled in an approved school of
                              nursing, as defined by the board of nursing.

          SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-7-127, is amended by deleting
subsection (f) and substituting:

                    (f)(1) If an applicant meets the requirements of subsection (e), then the board shall
                    issue a medication aide certificate to the applicant.

                              (2) Notwithstanding subsection (e), the board shall issue a medication aide
                    certificate to an applicant meeting the following alternative criteria for nursing school
                    students:

                                        (A) The applicant is a student in good standing enrolled in an approved
                              school of nursing, as defined by the board of nursing; and
SB 2427

                  (8) Has completed courses providing education regarding the basic
         nursing fundamentals and foundations, basic pharmacology, and medication
         administration portions of the nursing program with a sufficient passing grade.

          SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-7-127(i)(2), is amended by adding the
following as a new subdivision:

          (C) Arrangements to ensure a class of students completes the program in a minimum
of fourteen (14) days but a maximum of ninety (90) days from the start date of the class.

          SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-7-127(1), is amended by adding the
following as a new subdivision:

          (3) Any rules adopted regarding the evaluation of a program's overall test taker
examination pass rate must base the calculation on the number of students who successfully
pass the standardized knowledge and skill examination within two (2) attempts regardless of
whether a candidate passes on the candidate's first or second attempt.

          SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-7-127, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:

         (o)(1) The board, at its discretion, may grant certification to a person as a medication
         aide if:

                   (A) The person is certified, licensed, or registered and in good standing
         in another state as a medication aide, or an equivalent title; and

                   (8) The requirements for approval in such other state are as stringent
         as required by this section.

                   (2) The board is authorized to adopt rules regarding the administrative
         process for an individual to obtain certification as a medication aide pursuant to this
         subsection (o). Such rules may delegate to administrative staff of the board of nursing
         the authority to approve an application from a person meeting the requirements of
         this subsection (o). The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform
         Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.

                   (3) The board may establish by rule and collect an application fee under this
         subsection (o) in an amount sufficient to cover the costs of administering this
         subsection (o).

SECTION 6. For the purposes of promulgating rules, this act takes effect upon becoming a

law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect July 1, 2026, the

public welfare requiring it.     ••

                              2
         SENATE BILL NO. 2427

PASSED:  April 8, 2026

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                        '               - - RANDY McNAliY

                                   SPEAKER OF THE SENATE

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                        CAMEROftTSEXTON,SPEAKER

                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

J.3rd APPROVED this  day of Aptil       2026

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                    BILL LEE, GOVERNOR