Passing Drugs as a Nurse
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As a nursing student you may think your first and foremost goal is to make it through nursing school. Your main goal needs to be NOT TO KILL ANYONE.
Passing drugs chemically changes a person and that change can be deadly. It is important to to pass medications safely.
The five rights of passing medications.
1.Right Medication. -- NPH vs Regular
2.Right Dose. -- e.g. Too much insulin
3.Right Time. -- HS, 0900 etc
4.Right Route. -- IV, PO
5.Right Patient. -- May be many pt with the same name.
As a nurse, i would like to encourage you to use the smell test also. If a medication order does not seem right, question it. Either ask an other nurse or call the doctor.
In many instances the patients know their medication better than you do. If a patient says a pill looks wrong, stop, go back to the med room and check that everything is correct. Assume you are wrong.
Generic vs Brand Names
Brand names for drugs should be baned. In many cases the MD prescribes brand names and the stock is generic. This causes confusion, medication errors and wastes time. Below is a list of common brand names and the corresponding generic names. DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. I highly recommend that you have the latest edition of Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses
handy whenever you pour meds.
Generic vs brand name of medications
As a nurse passing drugs it is a challenge to learn both the brand name and the generic.| AcyctoVir | Zoviraz |
| Apresoline | Hydralazine |
| Augmentin | Amoxicilin/clavulanate |
| Bactrim | Sulfamethoxazole |
| Bentyl | Dicyclomine |
| Buspar | buspirone |
| Celexa | Citalopram |
| Cogentin | Benztropine |
| Colace | Ducosate Sodium |
| CTM | Chlorpheniramine |
| Depakote | ValporiC Acid |
| Diazide | Triamterene/HCTZ |
| Digoxin | Lanoxin |
| Dilantin | Phentoin |
| Effexor | Venlafaxine Hcl |
| Eiavil | Amitriptyline |
| Flagyl | Metronidazole |
| Geodon | Ziprasidone |
| Glocophage | Metformin |
| Immodium | Loperamide |
| Deflex | Cehpalexin |
| Lexapro | Escitalopram oxalate |
| Lipitor | Atrovastatin |
| Lopressor | metoprolol |
| Mevacor | Lovastatin |
| Mortin | Ibuprophen |
| Navane | Thiothixene |
| Neurontin | Gabapentin |
| Plavix | Clopidogrel Bisulfate |
| Plendil | Felodipifle |
| prilosec | Omeprazole |
| promethazine | Phenergan |
| Robaxin | methocarbamol |
| Remeron | Mirtazapine |
| Seroquel | Quetiapine fumarate |
| Singular | Montelukast |
| Stelazine | Trifluoperazine |
| Tac | triamcnolone Cr |
| Tegretol | Carbamazepine |
| Terazosin | Hytrin |
| Thorazine | Chlorpromazine |
| Trilafon | Perphenazine |
| Ultram | Tramadol |
| Vicodin | Hydrocodone |
| Vistaril | Hydroxyzine |
| Wellbutrin | BupropiOn |
| Zantac | Ranitidine |
| Zoloft | Sertraline |
| Zyprexa | lanzapine |
It is the nurses responsibility
When you pass medications, you are the last line of defense. It does not matter if the MD ordered the wrong med or the pharmacy screwed up. You are giving the patient the medication and you are responsible.
I have created a calculator to help nursing students Learn Nursing Math -- Drug Calculation .
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