[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-how-to-start-a-medication-aide-program-in-arkansas-2026-guide":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"text":6,"is_active":7,"best_states":8,"image_url":15,"summary":16,"created_by":17,"created_at":18,"updated_at":19,"cta_btn_text":17,"cta_btn_link":17,"published_at":20,"categories":21,"id":22},"how-to-start-a-medication-aide-program-in-arkansas-2026-guide","How to Start a Medication Aide Program in Arkansas (2026 Guide)","\u003Cp>Arkansas nursing homes have been allowed to use trained medication aides since Act 1423 of 2005, and here's the wild part: two decades later, the credential is still rare. A 2020 legislative review counted just 26 Medication Assistants-Certified in the entire state — against more than 14,000 LPNs. That's not because facilities don't want them. It's because almost nobody trains them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's the opportunity, and it comes with a catch you need to understand before you spend a dollar. Unlike CNA training — which Arkansas routes through DHS's Office of Long Term Care — the MA-C credential belongs to the \u003Cstrong>Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN)\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and the Board's program rules have historically required the training provider to be a postsecondary institution or hospital that already operates a Board-approved \u003Cem>nursing\u003C\u002Fem> program. A freestanding CNA school can't simply bolt this course on the way it might in Texas or Oklahoma. There are real paths in — we'll walk through them honestly — but this is a partnership-and-approval play, not a fill-out-a-form play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We work with CNA and allied-health schools every day, including here in the mid-South, helping them run enrollment, records, and compliance once programs launch. If you're still working on your core program, start with our companion guide, \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhow-to-start-a-cna-school-in-arkansas-2026-guide\">How to Start a CNA School in Arkansas\u003C\u002Fa>. And the usual note applies: we're operators, not attorneys. This is a practical roadmap, not legal advice — verify everything with the agencies named below, because Arkansas revised these very rules in 2025.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Quick Facts: Medication Aide Program Requirements in Arkansas\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Item\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Requirement\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Credential issued\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Medication Assistant-Certified (MA-C) — since August 2025 also called Certified Medication Assistant (CMA), used interchangeably\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Approving agency\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN), under the Arkansas Department of Health\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Enabling law \u002F rules\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Act 1423 of 2005; Ark. Code Ann. § 17-87-701 et seq.; ASBN rules (formerly Chapter 8, now ADH Title 17, Part 127)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Total training hours\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>At least 115 combined classroom, lab, and clinical hours (raised from 100 by Act 265 of 2025)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Typical hour split\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>~50 classroom \u002F 20 skills lab \u002F 45 clinical (confirm the current Part 127 split with ASBN)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Student prerequisites\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Active Arkansas CNA in good standing, in-state full-time LTC experience, HS diploma\u002FGED, literacy screening, current employment at a designated facility\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Exam vendor\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster), scheduled through TMU at ar.tmuniverse.com — not the NCSBN MACE\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Where MA-Cs work\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Board-designated facilities: nursing homes and certain local correctional facilities. Not assisted living\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Program review cycle\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Initial Board survey before approval; continued-approval survey every 5 years; annual reports; 75% first-time pass-rate floor\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Instructor rule (short version)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Arkansas RN, unencumbered license, 2+ years clinical or teaching experience in a nursing home; clinical instructors need 1 year recent nursing-home experience\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Ch2>First, the Honest Version: Who Can Actually Run This Program\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Read this section before you budget anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the ASBN rules in force for most of the credential's life, an MA-C training program's parent institution must be \"a postsecondary educational institution, hospital, or consortium of such institutions which currently offers a nursing program approved by the Board.\" That's why the state's approved-program list reads like a community college roster — ASU-Beebe, National Park College, UA-Pulaski Tech — plus a grant-funded program run by the Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA) that delivers training regionally inside nursing homes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ASBN adopted revised rules effective 2025 (the same update that renamed the credential and raised the hours), and whether that institutional restriction survived in the new Part 127 text is the single most important question to ask the Board before you plan anything. Call ASBN at 501-686-2700 and get the answer in writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Practically, that leaves a freestanding school with three real strategies:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ask ASBN directly whether your school qualifies under the current rules.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Rules changed in 2025; don't run on 2007 assumptions in either direction.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Partner.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Team with a community college, a hospital, or a nursing-home chain: they hold (or anchor) the program approval, you supply instruction, enrollment operations, and marketing. The AHCA model — facilities host training, workers train at full pay — shows what a partnership-delivered program looks like at scale.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Build the pipeline you're allowed to build.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Your CNA program is the mandatory on-ramp to MA-C anyway. Being the school that produces MA-C-eligible CNAs, runs the literacy prep, and feeds a partner program is a genuine business — and positions you to convert to a full program if the rules allow.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>Everything below assumes you've confirmed a viable route. Nothing below is worth doing until you have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 1: Business Entity — Brief, Because You Likely Have One\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>If you already run a licensed Arkansas school, skip ahead; your LLC, EIN, and bank account carry over. If you're starting fresh: file a Certificate of Organization with the \u003Cstrong>Arkansas Secretary of State's Business & Commercial Services\u003C\u002Fstrong> division through its online filing system — about $45 online (label that approximate; check the current fee schedule) — then get a free EIN from the IRS and open a dedicated business account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 2: Taxes and the Private Career School Question\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Existing operators are already registered with the \u003Cstrong>Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration\u003C\u002Fstrong> through ATAP (the Arkansas Taxpayer Access Point) and with the \u003Cstrong>Arkansas Division of Workforce Services\u003C\u002Fstrong> for unemployment insurance. New employers: do both before your first payroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bigger Step 2 issue is school licensure. Arkansas licenses private career schools through the \u003Cstrong>State Board of Private Career Education (SBPCE)\u003C\u002Fstrong>, administered within the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-51-601 et seq. Two things matter here:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Adding a program requires an amended license.\u003C\u002Fstrong> An SBPCE license \"shall be restricted to the programs of study specifically indicated in the application,\" and adding a program of study requires a supplementary application (§ 6-51-606(c)) — plus an additional Student Protection Trust Fund fee in the new program's first year. If you hold an SBPCE license for your CNA program, do not quietly add a medication aide course to your catalog.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>You may be exempt — but exemption isn't automatic.\u003C\u002Fstrong> § 6-51-603(2) exempts schools operating solely to provide training required for occupational licensure by a state board that sets the standards, which is a strong argument for ASBN-approved MA-C training. But SBPCE expects you to demonstrate the exemption, not assume it. One phone call to ADHE settles it; skipping that call risks fines that run $1,000–$5,000 per day of unlicensed operation.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Step 3: Classroom, Skills Lab, and Med-Pass Setup\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>If you run a CNA lab, you already own most of what an MA-C program needs — this is one reason med aide programs cost a fraction of a CNA launch. What you're adding is a medication-administration environment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>A \u003Cstrong>medication cart\u003C\u002Fstrong> stocked with practice meds (placebo cards, blister packs, liquids), MAR (medication administration record) practice sets — paper and electronic if you can manage it\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Supplies for every route MA-Cs may use: oral meds, topicals, eye\u002Fear\u002Fnose drops, transdermal patches, inhalers, vaginal and rectal administration trainers — plus, since Act 265 of 2025, \u003Cstrong>oxygen administration equipment and subcutaneous insulin training supplies\u003C\u002Fstrong> (insulin pens, injection pads), because those are now in scope\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Reference materials: current drug guide, med-math practice materials (MA-Cs can't calculate doses on the job, but they must recognize errors), and the Board's curriculum requirements\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Budget $3,000–$8,000 for a solid med-lab addition to an existing classroom. Your Board survey will look at this space, so set it up like a real med room, not a folding table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 4: Apply for ASBN Program Approval\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>This is the heart of the project, and it runs through the Board of Nursing — not the DHS Office of Long Term Care that approved your CNA program. Two different agencies, two different rulebooks, two different survey teams. Under the Board's training-program standards:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Approval comes before anything else.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The rule is explicit: programs must be Board-approved prior to implementation, and only after approval may a school advertise and enroll students. Arkansas is a no-marketing-before-approval state for this program.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The proposal\u003C\u002Fstrong> is signed by your institution's administrative officers and documents faculty qualifications, resources, curriculum with hour allocations, clinical arrangements, and an implementation timeline.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Expect an initial survey\u003C\u002Fstrong> (site visit) before the Board grants, defers, or denies approval — and a \u003Cstrong>continued-approval survey every five years\u003C\u002Fstrong> after that.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ongoing obligations:\u003C\u002Fstrong> annual reports to the Board; prior Board approval for curriculum changes; notice for instructor, name, or ownership changes; separate approval for any satellite or distance site; and a \u003Cstrong>75% first-time exam pass rate\u003C\u002Fstrong>, below which you owe the Board a remediation plan.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Fees:\u003C\u002Fstrong> the Board's published rules and fee tables don't list an MA-C program-approval fee. Confirm directly with ASBN rather than budgeting zero on our say-so.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>Step 5: Hire Qualified Instructors\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The Board checks these line by line:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Lead instructor:\u003C\u002Fstrong> current, unencumbered \u003Cstrong>Arkansas RN license\u003C\u002Fstrong> plus at least \u003Cstrong>two years of clinical and\u002For teaching experience in a nursing home\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Your CNA program's RN may well qualify — nursing-home experience is the hinge.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Clinical instructors:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Arkansas nursing license plus at least \u003Cstrong>one year of recent nursing-home experience\u003C\u002Fstrong>; an instructor or preceptor must be on site at all times during clinicals, with a clinical ratio of no more than six students per faculty member.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Preceptors:\u003C\u002Fstrong> RN or LPN with a year of recent nursing-home experience, supervising \u003Cstrong>one student at a time\u003C\u002Fstrong>, under written preceptor policies you file with the Board.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Notably absent: Arkansas requires no pharmacist on faculty and no train-the-trainer course — simpler than several neighboring states.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 6: Build the 115-Hour Curriculum\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Act 265 of 2025 raised the statutory minimum from 100 hours to \u003Cstrong>at least 115 combined classroom, lab, and clinical hours\u003C\u002Fstrong>, adding inhalation oxygen and subcutaneous insulin to the MA-C's scope. The AHCA's Board-approved curriculum runs 50 classroom \u002F 20 skills lab \u002F 45 clinical; the prior rule fixed 45\u002F15\u002F40. Confirm the exact split required by the current Part 127 rule with ASBN before you finalize your syllabus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Content-wise, teach to the scope — precisely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Allowed:\u003C\u002Fstrong> oral, topical, eye\u002Fear\u002Fnose drops, vaginal, rectal, transdermal, and metered-dose-inhaler medications, plus oxygen and subcutaneous insulin (the lone permitted injection)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Prohibited:\u003C\u002Fstrong> controlled substances (MA-Cs may not even have access), all other injections, NG- and G-tube medications, dose calculations, initial doses of newly ordered meds, taking or transcribing orders, treatments, assessments, and patient teaching\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Build your program so graduates can recite that boundary in their sleep. Facilities judge your program by whether your grads stay inside their lane, and surveyors judge facilities the same way. Note for employers you work with: MA-Cs certified before September 1, 2025 need a 15-hour add-on to pick up the oxygen and insulin authority — a nice continuing-education product for an approved program.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 7: Clinical Sites — Nursing Homes Only\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>MA-Cs work in Board-designated facilities: \u003Cstrong>nursing homes, plus certain local correctional facilities\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Assisted living facilities are not eligible under current Arkansas rules — if an ALF administrator asks you to train their med techs, the honest answer is that this credential doesn't cover their building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That makes skilled nursing facilities both your clinical sites and your customers, and the smart structure is employer-sponsored cohorts: the facility selects experienced CNAs, hosts the 45 clinical hours on its own med carts, and often pays wages during training (the AHCA program does exactly this). Your clinical agreements should spell out preceptor qualifications, the 1:1 preceptor ratio, and the rule that the first stretch of clinical hours stays under your clinical instructor's direct supervision. One more operational detail worth telling employer partners: a licensed nurse may supervise \u003Cstrong>no more than two MA-Cs per shift\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and an MA-C may not pass meds to \u003Cstrong>more than 40 residents per shift\u003C\u002Fstrong> — facilities need to staff around those caps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 8: Testing Through TMU and the Arkansas Nurse Portal\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Here's a detail that surprises people who've read about medication aide testing elsewhere: \u003Cstrong>Arkansas does not use the NCSBN's MACE exam.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The Board contracts with \u003Cstrong>D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster)\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the same vendor that runs Arkansas's CNA exam — and candidates schedule through the TMU platform at ar.tmuniverse.com.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flow: your program director submits the certificate of completion and your instructor records the completion in TMU; the student schedules and sits the exam (within 90 days of completing training, with up to two retakes inside six months); results flow automatically to ASBN; and the student files the MA-C initial application through the \u003Cstrong>Arkansas Nurse Portal\u003C\u002Fstrong> — about $35, with certification typically issued in 7–10 business days. There's no paper certificate; employers verify through the Board's license lookup. Certification renews every two years (about $40) with 8 contact hours of continuing education. Teach your students this whole pipeline before graduation day — schools that shepherd candidates through TMU and the Nurse Portal have visibly better completion-to-certification rates than schools that stop at the classroom door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 9: Enrollment, Records, and the Five-Year Survey\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>An MA-C program generates a surprising amount of paper for a 115-hour course: eligibility documentation (CNA registry standing, experience verification, diploma, literacy screening results), attendance mapped to required hours, skills checklists per medication route, clinical and preceptor logs, TMU submissions, annual Board reports, and pass-rate tracking against the 75% floor — all of it producible at a five-year survey or an unannounced visit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is exactly what Transition was built for: branded online enrollment with prerequisite document collection, payment plans, attendance and grade tracking per student, e-signed agreements, automated onboarding email and SMS, and end-of-course surveys — one system across your CNA and MA-C programs instead of a second spreadsheet universe. The schools we work with run multiple credentials without multiplying their admin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Step 10: Launch With an Employer-First Marketing Plan\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>MA-C students aren't found on Google the way CNA students are — the prerequisite experience requirement means every candidate already works in a nursing home. Market accordingly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Sell to administrators and DONs\u003C\u002Fstrong>, not students. One facility partnership fills a cohort; lead with the nurse-shortage math and the 2-per-nurse supervision model.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Work your CNA alumni list.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Your graduates from a year ago are aging into eligibility right now. An automated \"you're now MA-C eligible\" campaign to past cohorts is the cheapest enrollment channel you will ever run.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Arkansas Division of Workforce Services\u003C\u002Fstrong> and the Arkansas Workforce Centers fund healthcare upskilling; the state's Office of Skills Development has funded MA-C training grants before (that's how the AHCA program launched). Get to know your regional workforce board.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Keep a simple page live explaining eligibility rules — remembering that ASBN's rule bars advertising the program itself until approval is granted.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>What It Really Costs\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Assuming you're adding this to an existing school (or delivering under a partnership), realistic estimates:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Item\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Estimated range\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>SBPCE supplementary application \u002F exemption process\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$0 – $1,500\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Med cart, supplies, MAR sets, insulin\u002Foxygen trainers\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$3,000 – $8,000\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Curriculum development or licensing (115-hr, post-Act 265)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$2,000 – $6,000\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Instructor payroll before first-cohort revenue\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$4,000 – $12,000\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>ASBN application\u002Fsurvey costs\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$0 – $500 (confirm with ASBN)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Insurance rider for medication training\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$500 – $1,500\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Marketing (employer outreach, alumni campaigns)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>$500 – $2,500\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Realistic total\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>$10,000 – $30,000\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp>A fraction of a CNA-school launch — the classroom, entity, and core staff already exist. The wildcard is structural: if you need to build a partnership with a college or hospital to anchor Board approval, budget months of relationship-building rather than dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>How Long It Takes\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>If your institutional pathway is clear, plan on \u003Cstrong>4 to 8 months\u003C\u002Fstrong>: a month or two to confirm SBPCE status and assemble the proposal, Board review plus the initial survey, then instructor onboarding and first-cohort recruitment. The variance drivers in Arkansas are (1) resolving the parent-institution question under the 2025 rules, (2) Board meeting calendars — approvals track Board cycles, not your calendar — and (3) how fast a facility partner can nominate eligible CNAs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Common Mistakes to Avoid\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Assuming your CNA school automatically qualifies to host the program.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The parent-institution rule has historically required a nursing-program-operating college or hospital. Confirm your route with ASBN before spending anything.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Applying to the wrong agency.\u003C\u002Fstrong> CNA training runs through DHS\u002FOLTC; MA-C runs through the Board of Nursing. Your OLTC approval means nothing here.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Advertising before Board approval.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The rule explicitly sequences approval first, then advertising and enrollment.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Teaching the pre-2025 scope.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Oxygen and subcutaneous insulin are now in; a 100-hour curriculum is now short. Build to 115+ hours and the current Part 127 text.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Enrolling ineligible students.\u003C\u002Fstrong> No active Arkansas CNA standing, no qualifying in-state LTC experience, no literacy screening — no certification, and refund conversations follow. Verify eligibility at enrollment, not at exam time.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pitching assisted living.\u003C\u002Fstrong> MA-Cs can't work there under current rules. Selling this course to ALF staff is selling a credential they can't use.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch2>FAQ\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How much does it cost to start a medication aide program in Arkansas?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nIf you're adding it to an existing school or delivering under a partnership, plan on roughly $10,000–$30,000 — med-lab equipment, curriculum, instructor payroll, and licensure costs. The bigger investment is often time: securing an approval pathway with ASBN and, if needed, an institutional partner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Who approves medication aide training programs in Arkansas?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nThe Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN), under the Department of Health — not DHS's Office of Long Term Care, which approves CNA programs. ASBN approves the program before it can advertise or enroll, surveys it initially and every five years, and requires a 75% first-time pass rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What are the prerequisites for MA-C students in Arkansas?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nAn active Arkansas CNA in good standing on the registry, qualifying full-time in-state CNA experience in long-term care (historically one continuous year; some current Board-approved programs list six months — confirm the current rule with ASBN), current employment at a designated facility, a high school diploma or GED, and a passing Board-approved literacy and reading-comprehension screening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How many hours is Arkansas medication aide training?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nAt least 115 combined classroom, lab, and clinical hours under the current rules — raised from 100 by Act 265 of 2025, which added oxygen and subcutaneous insulin to the MA-C scope. A common Board-approved split is 50 classroom, 20 skills lab, and 45 clinical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What exam do Arkansas medication aides take?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nArkansas uses D&S Diversified Technologies (Headmaster), scheduled through the TMU platform — not the NCSBN MACE used in many other states. Results flow to ASBN automatically, and candidates then apply for certification (about $35) through the Arkansas Nurse Portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where can MA-Cs work in Arkansas?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nIn Board-designated facilities: nursing homes and certain local correctional facilities, always under licensed-nurse supervision. Assisted living facilities are not currently eligible, a nurse may supervise at most two MA-Cs per shift, and an MA-C may not pass medications to more than 40 residents in a shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Can a private CNA school offer MA-C training in Arkansas?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nHistorically, only postsecondary institutions or hospitals operating a Board-approved nursing program could host an MA-C program, which excludes freestanding career schools; ASBN revised its rules in 2025, so confirm current eligibility directly with the Board. Partnering with a community college, hospital, or nursing-home association is the proven route in the meantime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Disclaimer\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>This guide is for general information, not legal advice. Arkansas revised its medication assistant rules effective 2025, and details — hour splits, experience prerequisites, program-sponsor eligibility, fees — should be verified in the current rule text and directly with the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (501-686-2700), the Arkansas Division of Higher Education\u002FSBPCE, and the Department of Finance and Administration before you spend money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>The Paperwork Gets You Open. The Systems Keep You Open.\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Board approval gets your MA-C program on the map — eligibility verification, hour-by-hour records, and pass-rate management keep it there through every five-year survey. See how Transition runs enrollment, student records, messaging, and compliance for schools adding new programs at \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fjointransition.com\">jointransition.com\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>",true,[9],{"slug":10,"image_url":11,"name":12,"description":13,"active":7,"rate_school_desc":13,"id":14},"arkansas","https:\u002F\u002Ftransition-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\u002Fuploads\u002Fbest_state_schools\u002Fimages\u002F1749702839.652179_ar.svg","Arkansas","",12,"https:\u002F\u002Fs3.amazonaws.com\u002Ftransition-prod\u002Fuploads\u002Fbest_state_schools\u002Fblog_images\u002Fmedaide-arkansas-hero.jpg","Start a medication aide program in Arkansas: ASBN approval for MA-C training, the 115-hour requirement, CNA prerequisites, TMU testing, costs, and timelines.",null,"2026-07-29T20:39:48.884114Z","2026-07-29T20:39:48.885235Z","2026-07-28T09:00:00Z","general",72]