This curriculum guide is designed to aid Kansas instructors in conducting a course for teaching nursing home medication aides. Covered first are various introductory topics such as the role and responsibilities of medication aides, pharmacodynamics, forms in which medication is now available, common medical abbreviations, mathematics and weights and measures, drug standards and names, and resources for drug information. The second part of the guide is devoted to specific types of drugs. Included among these are drugs that specifically affect the cardiovascular, urinary, respiratory, digestive, central nervous, musculoskeletal, and endocrine systems; antibiotics and other anti-infective agents; and drugs affecting the eyes, ears, and skin. Topics addressed in the third part of the guide are: preparing to administer medications, administering medications, and recording medication administrations. Outlined next are guidelines for conducting a practicum for student nursing home medication aides. A brief annotated bibliography concludes the guide. Appended to the guide are outlines for executing various drug administration procedures, a list of common medical abbreviations, a chart listing units of measurement and their abbreviations, and facts about diabetic acidosis and hypoglycemia. (MN)