Need some new ideas for an updated medication administration test

[sonnie]

Help!! I am the staff development coordinator at our small rural hospital and I am looking for new fresh ideas to spruce up the tired old yearly medication administration test. Does anyone out there have any good ideas they would be willing to share? I have to test about 25 RN's and 5 LPN's and want to make it fair to everyone. Our pharmacist is willing to help some but she is busy with the new computer system, so most of it will fall on my shoulders. Thanks in advance for any help.

Sonnie

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

I did this last year to test nurse externs: went to different units and looked at MD orders to see what was actually being written. New nurses know the math, they just have problems making out what the MD really wants. Even if the handwriting is legible, the language is different from person to person. Blood transfusions and heparin drips are hard for new nurses sometimes. Amazing how many people cannot convert mg to grams, however.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

another thought: ask your QI person, or whoever tracks med errors, what are the most common. Address those. This tactic could also serve as action plan in correcting med errors.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

I have worked several places where they bought the NLN med tests. Very good but not cheap.

renerian