CALA Medication Management & Pharmacy Services 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In an assisted living facility, who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that medication administration policies comply with state regulations?
- The Director of Nursing
- The Licensed Administrator (Correct answer)
- The Consulting Pharmacist
- The Medical Director
Correct answer: The Licensed Administrator
The Licensed Administrator bears ultimate accountability for all facility operations, including ensuring medication policies meet state regulatory requirements.
Question 2: What term describes the process of comparing a resident's medication orders against all medications the resident is actually receiving to identify discrepancies?
- Medication reconciliation (Correct answer)
- Drug utilization review
- Formulary review
- Medication pass audit
Correct answer: Medication reconciliation
Medication reconciliation is the formal process of comparing medication orders against what a resident is receiving to catch omissions, duplications, or dosing errors.
Question 3: Under the Controlled Substances Act, which DEA schedule includes medications with the highest accepted medical use but also high potential for abuse, such as hydrocodone combinations?
- Schedule I
- Schedule II
- Schedule III (Correct answer)
- Schedule V
Correct answer: Schedule III
Hydrocodone combination products are classified as Schedule III substances, which have accepted medical use and moderate-to-low potential for physical dependence.
Question 4: A resident refuses to take a prescribed medication. What is the legally and ethically correct first action for facility staff to take?
- Document the refusal and notify the prescribing physician (Correct answer)
- Crush the medication and mix it in food without the resident's knowledge
- Contact the resident's family to persuade the resident
- Obtain a court order to administer the medication
Correct answer: Document the refusal and notify the prescribing physician
Respecting resident autonomy requires documenting the refusal and notifying the physician so the care plan can be updated; covert administration is illegal and unethical.
Question 5: Which type of medication order authorizes staff to administer a drug only when a specific condition or symptom occurs, rather than on a fixed schedule?
- Standing order
- PRN order (Correct answer)
- Verbal order
- Titration order
Correct answer: PRN order
PRN (pro re nata) orders direct staff to administer medication 'as needed' when a defined condition, such as pain above a threshold, is present.
Question 6: When a resident is admitted to an assisted living facility, best practice requires that all current medications — including over-the-counter drugs and supplements — be reviewed by which professional?
- Social Worker
- Activity Director
- Consulting Pharmacist (Correct answer)
- Dietary Manager
Correct answer: Consulting Pharmacist
A consulting pharmacist conducts a comprehensive medication review at admission to identify interactions, duplications, contraindications, and inappropriate dosing.
Question 7: What is the standard minimum frequency for a pharmacist to conduct drug regimen reviews for residents in a licensed assisted living facility under most state regulations?
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Quarterly
Most state regulations require a consulting pharmacist to review each resident's drug regimen at least quarterly to detect problems and make recommendations.
CALA Medication Management & Pharmacy Services 1
In an assisted living facility, who is ultimately responsible for ensuring that medication administration policies comply with state regulations?