(a) Any person who on the effective date of this section is employed as a medical technical assistant or as a senior medical technical assistant by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, who served on active duty in the medical corps of any of the Armed Forces of the United States or who served in the United States Public Health Service, in which no less than an aggregate of 12 months was spent in rendering patient care, who completed the basic course of instruction in nursing required by the United States Public Health Service, or by his or her particular branch of the armed forces, and who was honorably discharged therefrom, shall be granted an employment restricted license upon proof that he or she possesses the necessary qualifications of this section as set forth in his or her service and discharge records. An employment restricted license issued pursuant to this subdivision shall authorize the holder thereof to practice vocational nursing only within a facility of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and shall be valid only for the period of employment. In order to obtain a nonrestricted license as a vocational nurse, a medical technical assistant shall apply and take the examination as required and normally administered by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians of the State of California.
(b) On and after the effective date of this section, no person shall be appointed as a medical technical assistant by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation unless the person complies with one of the following:
(1) Is a licensed vocational nurse or a registered nurse.
(2) Has served on active duty in the medical corps of any of the Armed Forces of the United States or who served in the United States Public Health Service, in which no less than an aggregate of 12 months was spent in rendering patient care, who completed the basic course of instruction in nursing required by the United States Public Health Service, or by his or her particular branch of the armed forces, and who has been honorably discharged therefrom. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is authorized only to hire persons who are eligible for licensure, and as a condition of employment shall require that those persons obtain a license as a vocational nurse within six months of employment. He or she shall be supervised by a registered nurse or physician and surgeon and shall not administer medications until licensed.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any person who was granted a restricted vocational nurse’s license pursuant to that subdivision and who was employed in the psychiatric unit of the California Medical Facility at the time of the unit’s transfer from the Department of Corrections to the State Department of Mental Health on July 1, 1988, shall continue to hold his or her license.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 24, Sec. 3. (AB 1470) Effective June 27, 2012.)