As an approved MAT trainer, I taught approximately 60 classes in 2007.  I regularly receive calls or emails from providers who have questions about the medication administration process, particularly in regards to routes of administration which they have not been called upon to use since they completed the course.  Many of the routes of administration which are covered in the MAT course may only be used once or twice in a year.  This is a long time for those who are not health professionals to recall detailed information on medication procedures.  A recent Child Care Health Consultant meeting included a presentation on developing care plans for children with asthma in which the presenter commented that many providers require re-training on the use of inhalers if that route did not happen to be the route on which they were tested in the MAT class.  I believe it would be helpful for most providers to have an opportunity to review information and receive updated information  on some sort of regular basis.  For example, the procedure for epi-pen disposal has been changed since the time that many of them took the MAT course, but without refreshers, some of them may not receive this information until they renew their certification in three years.  If the renewal is limited to a written test, as is proposed, they may not get it even then!

Nurses and other health professionals are expected to have continuing education hours and demonstrate their competency on a regular basis.  It seems reasonable to expect that those who are not health professionals should have an annual refresher.  In fact, the annual refresher may be more valuable in protecting children than the three-year recertification.

As a previous child care provider, I am appalled that this suggestion has even been made.  Doing away with annual training for Medication Administration is inviting a serious state-wide decline in Child Care quality.  During my child care employment, I was in a position to administer non-regular medication or first aid more than once a month.  I, personally, felt much more qualified to administer these treatments knowing that I had passed the exam less than two months before.  If it had been three years since I had been exposed to these methods of treatment, I would not have been nearly as comfortable.  Not only does the refresher course provide peace of mind for caregivers and adequate treatment for our children, but it also allows opportunities for providers to become familiar with unfamiliar treatments.  For example, had I not had training in how to use the Epi-Pen, I would certainly not have been comfortable using one.  As often as our doctors are prescribing new treatments or methods of treatments, three years between trainings could be the difference between the life and death of a child, if the provider is unfamiliar and unprepared to administer the child's medication.  If we support this change in an effort to reduce costs for child care providers, we are placing a significantly insignificant price on the wellness of our children.  I, for one, am vehemently opposed to that.

Laura Strube

Due to the extensive MAT training for the three year certificate, I do not feel that it is necessary to have another yearly class.  Any new, up-dated information could be forwarded on an annual basis to the people that have the MAT certificate.