School of Nursing 4.3 Policy
4.3 Medication Administration Exam
(Revised 4/6/2023)
The purpose of this policy is to provide a means of ensuring that students are competent
in
medication dosage calculation and administration as outlined by the 6 rights of medication
administration (Right patient, right medication, right dose, right time, right route,
and right
documentation). Learning and evaluating emphases will be two major areas. One will
be
on the development of competent medication administration skills that include abilities
in
basic mathematics and conversion measurement systems for the accurate calculation
of
medication dosages. The second will be the emphasis on students’ competencies in
critical thinking, assuming responsibility, being accountable for their actions, and
understanding the serious consequences of medication errors to patient safety.
Definition: A medication error is a dosage of medication that differs from that ordered
by
physicians or other providers holding prescriptive authority or from that of facility
policy and
procedures. Categories of medication errors are wrong patient, omission of medication,
unauthorized drug, wrong dose, wrong route, wrong rate, incorrect administration
techniques, wrong time, wrong preparation of a dose, improper transcription, improper
documentation, disregard for allergy history, and failure to recognize and heed specific
nursing implications for drugs.
Medication Administration Exam
1. All clinical courses will require a proctored medication administration exam
consisting of ten (10 dosage calculation problems using either an on-screen
calculator or a school-provided calculator (no personal calculators or cell phones
allowed) and a demonstration of safe medication administration to be administered
prior to attending actual clinical experiences. The length of the exam will be 60
minutes. Clinical courses administering medication exams and demonstrating of
safe medication administration include NURS 3605, NURS 3615, NURS 3617,
NURS 4628, NURS 4626, NURS 4338, and NURS 4634.
2. Dimensional analysis is the only teaching method for Medication Dosage
Calculation with consistent exam formats across all clinical courses.
3. The student (including those testing in the testing center) will be provided a
copy of
the template attached at the end of this policy to show their work. This will be turned
in at the end of the exam.
4. Students must achieve a grade of 100% to demonstrate clinical competency.
Mandatory remediation with faculty will take place after each failed attempt to
include a practice test to confirm student understanding. The student must
demonstrate they understand their calculation errors prior to attempting an
additional exam. An alternate exam should be provided for each retake attempt and
the third attempt may be given on paper format.
5. If the student does not achieve a grade of 100% after three attempts, she/he will
be
placed on the BSN Medication Administration Success Plan (attached to this policy)
with a plan for remediation, re-testing, and a specified deadline for passing the
medication administration exam.
6. If the student is unable to achieve a grade of 100% on the medication administration
exam by the deadline specified on the BSN Medication Administration Success
Plan, she/he will receive a clinical failure for the course.
Approved: BSN Faculty Meeting 4/6/2023
Effective: Summer 2023 Semester