How do you go about "looking up" a med you aren't familiar with at work? Do you bring along a med book? Use a PDA? The reason I'm asking is because I'm returning to doing inpatient care from working in an office (don't give meds there other than vaccines, really).
How do I keep on time with passing meds? I've had other nurses roll their eyes at me when I went to look up a med. But they didn't know what it was for, either.
I don't want to be "untimely" but I also want to be prepared in case the patient has questions about their meds, OR a med where I'd need to watch for particular s/e's.
Specializes in med-surg 5 years geriatrics 12 years.
I always ahve a drug book with me; if it doesn't give what I need I grab a PDR...most places do have one at the nurses's station. And the pharmacy is a great resource as well. I've gotten laughed at for looking drugs up to but it's my license in the end. Not to mention a human life at the othe end. Keep up the good habits.
I call pharmacy or do a search on the internet. I really couldnt care less what other nurses think of me for not knowing a drug, because to be truthful=nobody knows everything. Even the Doc's phone pharmacy or look drugs up on line
Heck, even the pharmacists will look up meds for side effects, compatibilities and so on.
I'd much rather have a nurse who will take the time to look up meds than one who just barrels ahead blindly, not knowing what the hell they're giving.
Spend a productive few minutes. Call the pharmacy and ask if they can tell you the twenty most common meds dispensed to your unit. Study those drugs. I promise that you'll see them over and over.
When you have to give a new drug that isn't in your med book, ask the pharmacy to send up the drug insert. Put that in your med book for future reference.
Always check for compatability in IV meds. Many workplaces now have searchable computer programs.
How do you go about "looking up" a med you aren't familiar with at work? Do you bring along a med book? Use a PDA? The reason I'm asking is because I'm returning to doing inpatient care from working in an office (don't give meds there other than vaccines, really).
How do I keep on time with passing meds? I've had other nurses roll their eyes at me when I went to look up a med. But they didn't know what it was for, either.
I don't want to be "untimely" but I also want to be prepared in case the patient has questions about their meds, OR a med where I'd need to watch for particular s/e's.
Thanks for any advice!!
Emma
Always look up any drug that you're unfamiliar with. I've been in this profession for 11 yrs this year and am always looking something up in my Drug book. I don't know that employers are required to provide a drug book.. My unit has a Physician Desk Reference. I buy my own drug book every year...Usually Nursing2008 Drug book....you know the one you see in all the nursing magazines.
You can even spend time at home looking up common drugs-----calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, antibiotics, diuretics. While there are different formulations in each class, usually the side effects for the drugs in that class are very similar.
Always know what you are giving, you can't undo that IV push. As for saving time, before I pull the first patient's medications, I look through all the medications I will be giving that day for all the patients. I write down the ones I don't know and look them up all at once on the computer.
The one time you do not look up a medication, it will surely be the time the patient and his family will ask you about it and expose you in your lack of knowledge, and lose their trust in you.
Thank you all for the reassurance and help. I guess I'd rather have a nurse or two roll their eyes at me than have a patient on the other end roll off the face of the earth because I made a mistake by not knowing what I was giving...any day.
husker_rn, RN
417 Posts
I always ahve a drug book with me; if it doesn't give what I need I grab a PDR...most places do have one at the nurses's station. And the pharmacy is a great resource as well. I've gotten laughed at for looking drugs up to but it's my license in the end. Not to mention a human life at the othe end. Keep up the good habits.