Medication Administration
Practice Worksheet
1. What are the eight rights of medication administration?
1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
3. _____________________________
4. _____________________________
5. _____________________________
6. _____________________________
7. _____________________________
8. _____________________________
2. Which of the following are acceptable methods for the nurse to verify the correct client when
administering a medication? Select all that apply.
Client name
Room number
DOB
MRN
Telephone number
3. Complete the following statement: If it wasn’t documented… it wasn’t ____________.
4. Which of the following are safety checks that should be completed before administering a
medication via the intravenous route? Select all that apply.
Rate
Compatibilities
Allergies
Site
Tubing
Reassess patient
5. Complete the following statement: The nurse should ideally administer medications within
_______ minutes of the ordered time.
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6. Match each of the below abbreviations with the appropriate definition:
Abbreviations
PO → _____________________
NG → _____________________
IO → ______________________
IT → ______________________
IV → ______________________
PV → _____________________
PR → _____________________
IV → ______________________
IM → ______________________
SC/SubQ → ________________
ID → ______________________
SL → ______________________
IU → ______________________
Eyes → ____________________
Ears → _____________________
Definitions
Auris
Per rectum
per os
nasogastric
Per vaginam
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Intravenous
intraosseous
intrathecal
Intradermal
Intrauterine
Intravenous
Sublingual
Intramuscular
Oculus
7. Place a check over each of the appropriate subcutaneous injection sites
8. In a patient with an average amount of fatty tissue, the appropriate angle of injection for
subcutaneous medication administration is: ________________ degrees.
9. Which of the following statements are incorrect regarding intradermal medication
administration? Select all that apply
The bevel of the needle should be pointed down
You should appreciate a small blebl under the skin after administration
If a small bleb appears, you have administered the medication incorrectly
Sites for ID administration should be free of lesions and have little to no hair
The most common ID sites are the inner forearm and upper back
Immunizations are frequently administered ID
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10.In a patient with a large amount of fatty tissue, the appropriate angle of injection for
subcutaneous medication administration is: ________________ degrees.
11.Label the diagram below according to the correct injection angle for intramuscular,
subcutaneous, intravenous, and intradermal medication administration:
12. Match each of the following conditions with one of the listed drugs that are contraindicated
for that condition:
Condition
Drug
Asthma
Hypertension
Parkinson’s disease
Respiratory Failure
Epilepsy
Chronic Liver Disease
Drugs: NSAIDs, Neuroleptics, beta-blockers, COX-2 Inhibitors, Warfarin, TCAs
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13. Place a check over each of the appropriate intramuscular injection sites for the adult patient:
14. To locate the vastus lateralis site in pediatric patients palpate to find the greater
_____________ and knee joints; divide vertical distance between these two landmarks into
thirds; inject into _____________ third.
15. What is the maximum amount of fluid that should be injected into the ventrogluteal site of a
fully developed adult patient?
1 mL
2 mL
3 mL
4 mL
16. Advantages of using the deltoid site for IM injections in pediatric patients include:
Faster absorption rates than gluteal sites
Health professionals' unfamiliarity with site
Easily accessible with minimal removal of clothing
Less pain and fewer local side effects from vaccines compared with vastus lateralis
Free of important nerves and vascular structures
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Medication Administration
Practice Worksheet - Answer Key
1. What are the eight rights of medication administration?
1. Patient
2. Drug
3. Concentration
4. Dose
5. Route
6. Time
7. Documentation
8. The right thing to do
2. Answer: A, C, D, and E
Verifying the client name, DOB, MRN, or telephone number are all appropriate identifiers. The
Joint Commission sets regulatory standards according to patient safety. They state:
“The intent of the requirement is to reliably identify the individual as the person for whom the
service or treatment is intended and to match the service or treatment to that individual. The
glossary of the accreditation manual defines a patient identifier as "Information directly
associated with an individual that reliably identifies the individual as the person for whom the
service or treatment is intended. Acceptable identifiers may be the individual's name, an
assigned identification number, telephone number, or other person-specific identifier." Use of a
room number would NOT be considered an example of a unique patient identifier.”
For more information, review The Joint Commission protocols here.
3. Complete the following statement: If it wasn’t documented… it wasn’t done.
4. Answer: A, B, C, D, E, and F
Safety checks that should be completed prior to administering IV medications include
checking for compatibility, allergies, that the tubing is correct, the site is appropriate, the
pump is safely working, the right rate is programmed, all clamps are released, and the nurse
should return and reassess the patient. Just remember, CATS PRRR:
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5. Complete the following statement: The nurse should ideally administer medications within 30
minutes of the ordered time.
6. Match each of the below abbreviations with the appropriate definition:
Abbreviations
PO → per os
NG → nasogastric
IO → intraosseous
IT → intrathecal
IV → intravenous
PV → per vaginam
PR → per rectum
IV → intravenous
IM → intramuscular
SC/SubQ → subcutaneous
ID → intradermal
SL → sublingual
IU → intrauterine
Eyes → oculus
Ears → auris
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7. Place a check over each of the appropriate subcutaneous injection sites. The appropriate
injection sites for subcutaneous administration are the lateral aspects of the lower part of
the upper art, the posterior aspects of the upper arms, the back, abdomen in the umbilical
region, the thighs, and the lower loins.
8. In a patient with an average amount of fatty tissue, the appropriate angle of injection for
subcutaneous medication administration is:
45 degrees.
9. Anwer: A, C, + F
A is correct. The bevel of the needle should be pointed up, not down.
B is incorrect: You should appreciate a small bleb under the skin after administration; this
statement is correct.
C is correct. If a small bleb appears, you have administered the medication correctly without the appearance of a small bleb you would be worried the medication entered the
subcutaneous tissue.
D is incorrect: Sites for ID administration should be free of lesions and have little to no hair;
this is correct.
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F is incorrect. The most common ID sites are the inner forearm and upper back - this is
correct, as these sights are lightly pigmented and mostly free of hair, so they make
appropriate ID injection sites.
F is correct. Immunizations are frequently administered ID - this is incorrect, immunizations
are not frequently ID, rather they are usually administered IM.
10.In a patient with a large amount of fatty tissue, the appropriate angle of injection for
subcutaneous medication administration is:
90
degrees.
11.Label the diagram below according to the correct injection angle for intramuscular,
subcutaneous, intravenous, and intradermal medication administration:
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12. Match each of the following conditions with one of the listed drugs that are contraindicated
for that condition:
Condition
Drug
Asthma
beta-blockers
Hypertension
NSAIDS
Parkinson’s disease
COX-2 Inhibitors
Respiratory Failure
Neuroleptics
Epilepsy
TCAs
Chronic Liver Disease
Warfarin
13. Place a check over each of the appropriate intramuscular injection sites for the adult patient.
Appropriate IM injection sites in the adult patient are the deltoid, ventrogluteal, and
vastus lateralis.
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14. To locate the vastus lateralis site in pediatric patients, palpate to find the greater
trochanter and knee joints; divide vertical distance between these two landmarks into thirds;
inject into middle third.
15. Answer: C
The maximum amount of fluid that should be injected into the ventrogluteal site of a fully
developed adult patient is 3 mL.
“Muscle is less sensitive to irritating and viscous medications. A normal, well-developed adult patient
tolerates 3 mL of medication into a larger muscle without severe muscle discomfort. Larger volumes of
medication (4–5 mL) are unlikely to be absorbed properly. Children, older adults, and patients who are
thin tolerate only 2 mL of an IM injection. Do not give more than 1 mL to small children and older infants,
and do not give more than 0.5 mL to smaller infants” (Potter & Perry, 2023).
Potter & Perry. (2023). Fundamentals of Nursing. 11th Ed.
16. Answer: A, C, and E
Advantages of using the deltoid site for IM injections in pediatric patients include faster
absorption rates than gluteal sites, easily accessible with minimal removal of clothing, and less
pain and fewer local side effects from vaccines compared with vastus lateralis.
Health professionals are NOT unfamiliar with the site, and the site is NOT free of important
nerves and vascular structures. In fact, there are “small margins of safety with possible
damage to radial nerve and axillary nerve” (Potter & Perry, 2023).
Potter & Perry. (2023). Fundamentals of Nursing. 11th Ed.
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