Just like actors in a movie cannot be too prepared to deliver an award-winning performance, you can never be too prepared to administer drugs. Take a moment to compile an inventory regarding how to prepare to administer drugs wisely, safely, and through evidence-based research. Think about the following:

• What would you do first?
• How would you prioritize your actions?
• When obstacles occur, how would you demonstrate prudent critical thinking?
• Are you the type of person who is tempted to cut corners to save time/energy?
• Will cutting corners make your drug administration as safe or less safe?

Developing good habits when it comes to delivering care to clients, including drug administration, is the key to being prepared. Here are some crucial factors that will assist you in being prepared:

• Time management. Generally, the time for medication administration lends to some flexibility, within reason. Most agencies allow for administration of drugs from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after upon every hour. For instance, if a medication is scheduled for 0800, you could administer medications from 0730-0830. The exception to this is for drugs such as chemotherapy, which have to be given exactly on time, or you run the risk of interrupting the chemotherapy protocol. Also, administering IV medications first affords the opportunity to administer other medications or care activities while the infusion is running.
• Organization. You must be organized. Each nurse has his or her own style of discerning how to accomplish nursing activities in an orderly fashion. Many nurses organize their medications and care activities using a worksheet. This way, each nurse has a blueprint of the care activities and time frame within which he or she can accomplish the assigned tasks.
• Priority setting. Setting priorities is essential in the healthcare environment. You must learn to set priorities around drug administration and other care activities. Moreover, you must be flexible, because often within a single day, priorities will have to be reordered due to changes in client conditions and physician orders.
• Evaluation. Continuously evaluate your performance in terms of delivering care and achieving ordered care activities. There always seems to be more to do than it seems reasonable to accomplish, and often you may feel challenged to get everything done. Performing self-evaluation can assist with being more effective. Asking questions such as, “How could I have prioritized more effectively in this situation?” or “How could I have improved my time management?” may prove helpful. Based on this evaluation, you can assume a new plan of action for the future.

Editor’s note: This excerpt is from our upcoming book Stressed Out About Drug Interactions. It will be released in April.