ATI RN
Medication Administration Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
A nurse has administered an intramuscular injection. What will the nurse do with the syringe and needle?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: To prevent needlestick injuries, needles should not be recapped and must be disposed of in a puncture-resistant sharps container.
Question 2 of 5
A nurse is teaching a patient about medications. Which statement from the patient indicates teaching is effective?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: For daily insulin, rotate site within anatomical area. Rotating injections within the same body part (intrasite rotation) provides greater consistency in absorption of medication. Parenteral medication absorption is not affected by the timing of meals. Taking a medication 30 minutes late is within the 60-minute window of the time medications should be taken. Medications are usually stopped based on the provider's orders except in extenuating circumstances. With some medications, such as antibiotics, it is crucial that the full course of medication is taken to avoid relapse of infection.
Question 3 of 5
When the nurse administers an intramuscular (IM) corticosteroid injection, the nurse aspirates. What is the rationale for the nurse aspirating?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The purpose of aspiration is to ensure that the needle is in the muscle and not in the vascular system. Blood return upon aspiration indicates improper placement, and the injection should not be given. While a patient can aspirate fluid and food into the lungs, this is not related to the reason for why a nurse pulls back the syringe plunger after inserting the needle (aspirates) before injecting the medication. Reducing discomfort and prolonging absorption time are not reasons for aspirating medications.
Question 4 of 5
The nurse administers a central nervous system stimulant to a patient. Which assessment finding indicates to the nurse that an idiosyncratic event is occurring?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An idiosyncratic event is a reaction opposite to what the effects of the medication normally are, or the patient overreacts or underreacts to the medication. Falls asleep is an opposite effect of what a central nervous system stimulant should do. A stimulant should make a patient restless and alert. A pruritic (itch) rash could indicate an allergic reaction.
Question 5 of 5
A patient who is being discharged today is going home with an inhaler. The patient is to administer 2 puffs of the inhaler twice daily. The inhaler contains 200 puffs. When should the nurse appropriately advise the patient to refill the medication?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Six weeks will be about the time the inhaler will need to be refilled. The inhaler should last the patient 50 days (2 puffs x 2/twice daily = 4; 200 / 4 = 50); the nurse should advise the patient to refill the prescription when there are 7 to 10 days of medication remaining. Refilling it as soon as the patient leaves the hospital or when the inhaler is half empty is too early. If the patient waits 50 days, the patient will run out of medication before it can be refilled.