Bill > SB2548

This bill expands the scope of practice for Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs) in Tennessee by allowing physician assistants (PAs) to delegate certain tasks, including medication administration, to them. A PA is a healthcare professional who practices medicine as part of a team, with physician supervision. The bill clarifies that PAs can delegate tasks to CMAs under a collaborative agreement or protocol with a supervising physician. It also adds specific categories of medications that CMAs are authorized to administer or prepare, such as intramuscular, subcutaneous, and topical medications, as well as vaccines and certain anesthetic agents. The bill also specifies that ambulatory outpatient clinics are responsible for training and verifying the competency of CMAs, especially for medication administration. Furthermore, it outlines the recognized certifying bodies for CMAs and clarifies that PAs cannot delegate tasks requiring their own professional judgment.