Administering Oral Medication

The nurse is preparing to administer a sublingual medication. Which instruction to the client is correct?

"Try not to swallow while the pill dissolves."

The client is prescribed digoxin 0.125 mg PO every day. The nurse obtains the medication from unit stock and discovered that digoxin only comes in a 0.25 mg tablet. How many tablets of digoxin should the nurse administer to the client?

0.5 tablet

The nurse is preparing hydrochlorothiazide 50-mg tablet from unit stock. The health care provider orders 75-mg of hydrochlorothiazide PO for the client's hypertension.How many tablets of hydrochlorothiazide will the nurse administer to the client?

1.5 tablets

The nurse us preparing a liquid medication for a client. The health care provider prescribes cimetidine hydrochloride 600 mg PO for gastrointestinal bleeding. The pharmacy sends cimetidine hydrochloride 300 mg/ 5 mL. How many teaspoons should the nurse administer?

2 teaspoons

The nurse needs half of a tablet of medication and is preparing to split the tablet but there is no score. What should the nurse do?

Call the health care provider Refrain from splitting the tablet

The nurse opens the multi dose container of oxycodone. The nurse needs 1.5 tablets to deliver the as needed dose, and the tablets in the container are not scored. What action by the nurse is best?

Call the pharmacy to request a supply change

The nurse is performing the third medication check for a medication administered from a multi-dose bottle. What should the nurse do?

Check the multi-dose bottle label after identifying the client and before administering the medication.

The nurse had administered a client's medication. Which action would be most appropriate if the client vomits immediately, or soon after administration?

Check the vomit/ emesis for pills or pill fragments and call the client's health care provider

The nurse is in the client's room to administer the client's morning oral medication. Which action should the nurse take first?

Confirm the client's identity.

A nurse is preparing to administer oral medications to a client. While opening the unit dose package, the medication inadvertently falls on the floor. Which action by the nurse would be most appropriate?

Discard the current unit-dose package and obtain a new one.

The nurse is administering a client's medication and more tablets than needed fall into the bottle cap. What should the nurse do?

Drop extra tablets into bottle from bottle cap

The instructor observes a nursing student who is preparing a liquid medication from a multi-dose bottle. Which action would concern the instructor if it were demonstrated by the student?

Holds the bottle of liquid medication with the label facing the medication cup.

The nurse is splitting medication. After splitting the tablet and administering half to the client, what should the nurse do with the remaining half?

If the medication is a narcotic waste with another nurse present Dispose of medication per hospital protocol

After reviewing the skills for administering different medications, a student nurse demonstrates the need for additional review when she does takes which action?

Leaves before verifying that the client has swallowed the medication

The nurse prepares the client's nightly medication doses and needs to administer an as needed dose of a hypnotic medication for sleep. The sleep medication is in a unit- dose package. What action does the nurse take?

Open the package after the client confirms the dose is wanted

Which route of medication administration is most commonly prescribed?

Oral

The nurse enters the client's room to administer oral medications. Which action would the nurse take first?

Perform hand hygiene

When pouring a liquid medication into a graduated liquid medication cup, which nursing action would be most appropriate?

Place the cup on a flat surface at eye level.

The nurse is administering routine medication to a post surgical client and the client asks, "Could I have something for pain?" Th nurse checks the medication administration record (MAR) and notes that the medication is an opioid. What should the nurse do?

Place the opioid into a separate cup.

The nurse is preparing to split medication for client administration. What method should the nurse use to split the medication?

Place the pill in the pill splitter and close.

A nurse is preparing several oral medications for administration. One of the medications requires the nurse to obtain the client's apical pulse before administering it. Which action would be most appropriate?

Placing the medication requiring the assessment in a separate medication cup.

The nurse is distributing afternoon medications to the clients. When removing a tablet from a multi-dose bottle, what should the nurse do first?

Pour the tablet into the bottle cap

When administering medications to a client, what information should the nurse know about the medication?

Safe dose range Action Purpose Adverse Effects

The nurse administers the client's scheduled morning medication. The previous dose of antihypertensive was held due to a blood pressure that was too low according the health care provider's parameters. What does the nurse do with this scheduled unit-dose packaged antihypertensive medication?

Set the antihypertensive dose aside pending assessment.

The nurse splits a medication for client administration. What should the nurse do to assure safety and proper documentation?

Take computer to the bedside Take medication to bedside Take medication package and label to bedside

A nurse is distributing the 0900 medication to the client. What should the nurse do when removing a tablet from a multi-dose bottle?

Take the multi-dose bottle into the client's room Put an extra tablet back into the bottle from cap Use gloves for extra protection

The client tells the nurse that the medication in the cup is not the same as the medication he took the day before. The client is insistent that the medication is not the one prescribed. Which action by the nurse would be least appropriate?

Tell the client that he must take this medication because it is prescribed by the health care provider

A nurse is measuring a liquid medication in a graduated liquid medication cup. The nurse determines the correct amount by reading:

The bottom of the meniscus

The nurse is teaching a client how to prepare and administer liquid medications. The client has been on other types of medications for several years. What common error would be most appropriate for the nurse to include in teaching this client?

The client can use any type of measuring device.