Medication Administration Test suggestions

Memorization. Go over the steps over and over. If you have practice orders, use them to practice. Memorize.

This will be a huge part of your new career and is vital during clinicals as well.

Just go over it again and again. This is an "easy" checkout compared to many others, such as those that require sterile technique, etc. Foley's, IVs, etc. None will be easy. All will require practice and committing to memory.

Here is a great website for medication testing/calculations to prepare for medication testing. Hope this can help someone out there:wink2:

http://www.nursesaregreat.com/articles/drugcal.htm

We just had our med administration checkoff last Friday. I highly recommend that you utilize your lab if at all possible. Just practice the steps over and over in the lab. This is the only way that I learned it.

we have our "checkout" on medication administration on wednesday and im just looking for things to help me with it.

its not that its hard, just very detailed and we cant miss a single thing.

the basic steps they have us doing is

1. compare the phys order vs medication administration record for errors and descrepencies

2. interpret order for abbreviations for what/ how to

3. prepare and calculate meds

4. administer with checking the drug 3 times and the 5-7 rights along with making sure any vital is taken prior to a drug

5. record/chart/document correctly on the chart

6. evaluate pt response to med

any suggestions?

how did/are you preparing?

what worked for you?

Keep on going over this this in your head. Talk out the steps with someone else. This is what really helped me.

Here is how I prepared.

You already know that it is common knowledge that all medications ordered are going to be in the patients MAR.

The MAR is where we find what to give the patient--and if there are any special considerations we have to consider before giving the med. If the patient has a BP medication, then always check the patients BP before administering because they may or may not need it. If the patient is on a pain medication like Demerol and it is PRN, always make sure u check to see when their last dose was, before administering. If they are to recieve it every 4 hours and they had their last dose at 12 pm and it's only 2 pm, then by checking the MAR, u know not to give. So these are the reasons why u should always check the MAR against doctors orders, because u never know what special considerations u will have to take in order to give the medication.

As for checking your abbreviations. Do u have an abbreviation book? Or do u have to know the abbrevs off the top of ur head? I think knowing them all would be impossible. It is just important that u are administering the right drug and not something that sounds similiar to the right drug. Again, I think that when working with drugs more and more, u will get to know some of the similar sounding drugs. But u SHOULD always, always look up the abbreviations if u are not 100% sure u know what an abb. means.

3. If u don't have the right drug^, or know what special considerations u have to take before giving a medication, then u will not know how to calculate ur correct dose. That is why steps 1 and 2 are very important to continue on to this step. So, make sure u double read the docs orders and check the MAR before trying to calculate doctors orders. If u are unsure of how to do a problem, u should always ask someone else. Communicating is also a very important part of becoming nurse.

4. when u have the right dosage, always make sure u check the each medication against the MAR at least three times. For example, lets say that u have a patient who is on NPH 17 units daily and the doctor gave u orders to give the patient regular insulin of:

• 6 units for a blood glucose higher than 160
  
• 8 units for a blood glucose highter than 200
  
• 15 units for a blood glucose highe than 250
  
• 20 units for a blood glucose higher than 300

And let's say that that patient ends up having a blood glucose reading of 325. that means that by doctors order u are going to administer the patients daily NPH of 17 units along with the regular insulin of 20 units based on the pts blood glucose reading.

The proper steps to check this medication are as followed.

first u should always roll ur NPH insulin to mix it up. Never roll regular insulin. Next, u are going to put 17 units of air into ur NPH vial, then 20 units of air into the regular insulin vial. Without taking the needle out of the regular insulin, u should draw up 20 units of regular insulin.

When u have ur 20 units of regular insulin, u should recap ur insulin by using the scoop method and check ur syringe against the MAR stating.....

1. Patient- Jane Doe
   
2. Medication ordered--regular insulin
   
3. Dose ordered--20 units of regular insulin for blood glucose over 300.
   
4. route ordered--subcutaneously, and I have a subcutuaneous needle and an insulin syringe
   
5. time ordered--it's 8 am and patients next dose was for 8 am..

1. Patient- Jane Doe
   
2. Medication ordered--regular insulin
   
3. Dose ordered--20 units of regular insulin for blood glucose over 300.
   
4. route ordered--subcutaneously, and I have a subcutuaneous needle and an insulin syringeroute ordered
   
5. time ordered--it's 8 am and patients next dose was for 8 am..

and one more time,....

Then u when u are sure you have all of these right, u will go ahead and draw up 17 units of NPH, which will give u a total of 37 units of insulin in the syringe u are using.

Then u would go in and do your three checks again....

after giving the medication u should always go into the MAR and cross out which mediations u gave and initital. u should also record where u gave the medicine depending on the route and what procedures u had to follow in order to give the medication. if u had to take BP, u would write patients BP was 170 next to the time u gave that patients medicaiton etc. U would also chart that u assessed the patient for side effects and adverse reactions. and how well the patient tolerated the medication and/or procedure.

Good luck!

I wrote all of this out, because it won't hurt any. It actually helped me remember some of things I have to know. My instructors always tell me the best way to learn is to teach...and that's what I do..:wink2::typing