what are 10 drugs any novice nurse should know?

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I am a novice nurse, going through the Versant program--an 18 week course designed to ensure that I am a "safe" nurse when they cut the strings:nurse:. I am going to have a hospital quiz on medications. I want to be able to ace this test. Calculations are no problem, but their are so many drugs that I don't know where to start. I know that there are going to be drugs that do not matter what specialty you are in, they expect you to know. I have a few in mind:

  1. digoxin
  2. lasix
  3. solumedrol
  4. insulin
  5. dilaudid

Now after that I have no clue what other drugs go across the board. Can someone help this novice nurse out?

P.S. I would like all the advice that can be offered in starting out as a new grad.

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

I'm just going to list a couple meds I give all the time that I guess would be pretty common:

morphine

ativan

fent

versed

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Marilynmom,

Thanks. I may just be a little apprehensive, because these drugs are used sometimes on my floor--Oncology.

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Lopressor

Nitroglycerin

Pril's (ACE-I's)

Plavix

Lasix

Dopamine

Dobutamine

Atropine

Cardizem

Levophed

These are the most commonly used in my unit. Cancer patients can have heart issues, too!

:redbeathe

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Psych.

i would also add:

heparin

lovenox

coumadin

good luck!

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I work with kids so don't see as many heart meds, so my list is a little different:

Insulin (including the differences between types)

Dilaudid/narcotics (especially if your floor allows PCA's, or IV push narcotics)

Vancomycin (know the reactions pt's can have and how to prevent, also, I would understand difference between peak and trough)

Mucomyst (for ingestions)

Standard doses for Benadryl, Tordol, and other common IV meds

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC.

Hold digoxin if HR

Never give potassium IVP (IV Push)

Phenergan (this always gets diluted)

Protonix

until you know which drugs do what, look them up before giving. always have a BP before giving meds, and hold BP meds if you are unsure if the BP is in range. Most docs want to know if the BP is out of range (at our facility)

know that Vicodin has Tylenol in it and that there is a 4000 mg per 24 hr cut off, even if it's PRN Q 4 hrs. and vicodin and lortab are the same thing. (if it says 5/500, it's 5 mg. hydrocodone, 500 mg tylenol per pill)

On the floor, the more you look them up, the more you will remember. you really don't want to give meds without knowing what they are for, even if the pt. has been getting it for weeks.

For your quiz, I'd refresh your drugs for OD on:

Coumadin/Warfarin (Vitamin K)

Tylenol ( Mucomyst/acetylcystine x 18 doses, I believe)

Narcotics (Narcan)

Digoxin (Digibind)

Heparin (protamine sulfate)

Lovenox to the lovehandles, make sure the bubble is at the end to seal it

heparin to the abdomen

Do you have any kind of an idea of what they are wanting you to know? is it drugs only or drug administration methods as well?

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Specializes in LTC, case mgmt, agency.

My hospital med quiz asked stuff like what would you do if......................... related to med pass. They also asked what resources would I use if I was not sure of a med or my calculation.

Most of the med math calculations were fairly easy but they also threw in 3 that only a pharmacist could possibly do. What I did on those was I wrote what I came up with and on the side I wrote I would double check with pharmacy before giving. ( they said they liked that I added that on )

They asked about meds listed already and I hear they added some that you see advertised on tv like januvia, evista, enbril, and boniva.

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Propanolol

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

Zofran for nausea, companzine for nausea. We don't use IV phenergan at our hospital, it's a vesicant.

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StudentNurseForever,

I know that they are giving calculations(drips, conversion)...which I am confident in. There are many specialty nurses in our group (ER, Mother/Baby, etc,). They informed us that it will be drugs that any of us could use, how to administer, therapeutic range...things of that nature. I appreciate all the feedback from everyone.

Thank You:heartbeat

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.

Things I see commonly:

Ceftriaxone

Vancomycin

Levaquin

Flagyl

Lasix

Metoprolol

Diltiazem

-statins, most commonly Atorvastatin & Simvastatin on my floor

Propranalol

Prednisone

Oxycodone

Percocet

Dilaudid

Klonopin

Ativan

Zyprexa

Aricept

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