CPEN Medication Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 10 kg toddler requires dopamine at 10 mcg/kg/min. Using a standard concentration of 400 mcg/mL, what is the infusion rate in mL/hr?
- 15 mL/hr (Correct answer)
- 1.5 mL/hr
- 150 mL/hr
- 0.15 mL/hr
Correct answer: 15 mL/hr
Rate (mL/hr) = (10 mcg/kg/min × 10 kg × 60 min) ÷ 400 mcg/mL = 6000 ÷ 400 = 15 mL/hr.
Question 2: Which medication should be available at the bedside whenever IV fentanyl is administered to a pediatric patient?
- Naloxone (Narcan) (Correct answer)
- Flumazenil (Romazicon)
- Epinephrine
- Atropine
Correct answer: Naloxone (Narcan)
Naloxone reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression and must be immediately available when opioids are administered.
Question 3: A 2-year-old is ordered acetaminophen 15 mg/kg PO. The liquid is available as 160 mg/5 mL. The child weighs 12 kg. How many mL should be given?
- 5.6 mL (Correct answer)
- 11.3 mL
- 2.8 mL
- 7.5 mL
Correct answer: 5.6 mL
Dose = 15 × 12 = 180 mg; volume = (180 ÷ 160) × 5 = 5.625 ≈ 5.6 mL.
Question 4: An infant is receiving a continuous IV infusion and the pump alarms for occlusion. What is the first nursing action?
- Assess the IV site and tubing for kinks or positional occlusion (Correct answer)
- Increase the pump pressure limit
- Replace the IV catheter immediately
- Notify the physician before doing anything
Correct answer: Assess the IV site and tubing for kinks or positional occlusion
Assessment of the IV site and tubing is the first step to identify and correct the most common, easily remedied causes of occlusion.
Question 5: A 7-year-old (25 kg) with asthma requires IV methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg. The vial contains 125 mg/2 mL. What volume should be drawn up?
- 0.4 mL (Correct answer)
- 4 mL
- 0.04 mL
- 2 mL
Correct answer: 0.4 mL
Dose = 1 × 25 = 25 mg; concentration = 62.5 mg/mL; volume = 25 ÷ 62.5 = 0.4 mL.
Question 6: Which of the following is the safest practice when programming a high-alert medication infusion on a smart pump?
- Use the drug library to select the medication and concentration (Correct answer)
- Bypass the drug library to save time in an emergency
- Manually calculate and override all pump limits
- Program based on a verbal order from the physician
Correct answer: Use the drug library to select the medication and concentration
Drug libraries with hard and soft dose limits provide a safety check that reduces programming errors with high-alert medications.
Question 7: A nurse accidentally administers a vesicant medication into a surrounding tissue rather than the vein. This is called:
- Extravasation (Correct answer)
- Infiltration
- Phlebitis
- Thrombosis
Correct answer: Extravasation
Extravasation is the inadvertent leakage of a vesicant or irritant solution into surrounding tissue, which can cause necrosis.
CPEN Medication Administration 3
A 10 kg toddler requires dopamine at 10 mcg/kg/min.
Using a standard concentration of 400 mcg/mL, what is the infusion rate in mL/hr?