Medication Administration Flashcards
7 cards from real LVN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medication Administration flashcards as text
Which of the following is considered a high-alert medication requiring extra verification steps before administration?
Answer: Insulin
Insulin is a high-alert medication with a narrow therapeutic window; errors can cause life-threatening hypoglycemia or DKA.
The LVN discovers a medication error after the drug has been given. The correct sequence of actions is:
Answer: Assess the patient, notify the charge nurse and provider, document per facility policy, and complete an incident report
Patient safety requires immediate assessment and notification, followed by thorough documentation and an incident report per facility protocol.
A patient's MAR shows warfarin 5 mg PO daily. The patient's INR today is 4.8. The LVN should:
Answer: Hold the dose and notify the provider
An INR of 4.8 is supratherapeutic and indicates a high bleeding risk; the dose should be held and the provider notified for further orders.
Which statement about look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) medications is correct?
Answer: LASA medications should be stored separately and labeled with tall-man lettering to reduce errors
Separating LASA medications and using tall-man lettering (e.g., hydrOXYzine vs. hydrALAzine) are evidence-based strategies to reduce mix-up errors.
Before drawing up insulin from a vial, the LVN should check the label at which points?
Answer: When removing from storage, when drawing up, and at the bedside before administration
The three-check system requires verifying the medication label when removing it, when preparing it, and at the bedside before administration.
A patient reports they take St. John's Wort daily. The LVN should alert the provider because this herbal supplement can interact with which class of medications by reducing their effectiveness?
Answer: Anticoagulants and many prescription drugs metabolized by CYP450 enzymes
St. John's Wort induces CYP450 enzymes, reducing blood levels of many medications including warfarin, oral contraceptives, and antiretrovirals.
The nurse is administering potassium chloride (KCl) intravenously. The correct practice is to:
Answer: Administer it as a diluted solution via controlled infusion pump, never undiluted IV push
Undiluted IV potassium can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias; it must always be diluted and administered via infusion pump at a controlled rate.