Question

exam: assisting with self-administration of medications: the basics

1. what is a common side effect of antipsychotic medications?

muscle spasms
excessive thirst
frequent urination
severe bleeding

1. which of these persons is appropriate for an unlicensed staff member to aid with self-administering medication?

70-year-old needing insulin
68-year-old needing the first dose of a new medicine
74-year-old needing a routine blood pressure medicine
72-year-old needing medicine via gastric tube

1. true or false: when assisting with the self-administration of medications, assisting is helping, and administering is giving.

true
false

1. true or false: an unlicensed employee is allowed to give medication without an order from a prescriber.

true
false

1. which of the following is one of the important tasks that you should do as an unlicensed professional?

documenting accurately in the medical record
obtaining medication orders from the prescriber
deciding on your own to withhold medication
treating an allergic reaction

Explanation:

• Question 6: Antipsychotic medications can cause extrapyramidal symptoms, and muscle spasms (dystonia) are a common side - effect. Excessive thirst is more associated with conditions like diabetes insipidus, frequent urination can be due to urinary tract infections or diabetes, and severe bleeding is not a typical side - effect of antipsychotics.
• Question 7: An unlicensed staff member can assist a 74 - year - old with a routine blood pressure medicine. Insulin administration (70 - year - old) often requires more training, the first dose of a new medicine (68 - year - old) may need more supervision, and medication via gastric tube (72 - year - old) is a more complex procedure.
• Question 8: When assisting with self - administration of medications, “assisting” means helping (e.g., reminding, getting the medication ready) and “administering” means giving (e.g., injecting, putting the pill in the patient's mouth).
• Question 9: An unlicensed employee is not allowed to give medication without an order from a prescriber. This is a legal and safety requirement.
• Question 10: Documenting accurately in the medical record is an important task for an unlicensed professional. Obtaining medication orders is usually the role of a licensed prescriber or a higher - level healthcare provider, deciding to withhold medication on one's own is not within the scope (unless there are specific protocols followed), and treating an allergic reaction usually requires more advanced training and authorization.

Answer:

1. Muscle spasms
2. 74 - year - old needing a routine blood pressure medicine
3. True
4. False
5. Documenting accurately in the medical record