Applying My Learning
Tuesday, 1700 hours
Heidi went into the medication room to prepare 1700 medications. The day had worked out really
well. She was glad the manager had decided to stagger the nurses’ shifts in order to have another
RN come in from 1100-1900. The new change in hours worked really well for her life, and it
seemed to really fit the lodge’s needs, too.
Heidi checked the MAR to prepare Mrs. Thornley’s medications. Marnie had told her that all the
meds were now in liquid form, since Mrs. Thornley had become so resistive to taking her pills.
“What a relief!” thought Heidi. “That poor woman couldn’t stand to take those pills no matter
what we tried. It’s just too bad that we have to give her meds more frequently now, since she won’t
swallow the sustained-release pills.” She lifted the bottle labeled Potassium Chloride, checked the
label against the MAR, and poured the required amount into a med cup, mixed it into a cup of
apple juice, and walked up to Mrs. Thornley’s room. She found the resident sitting in her armchair
by the window, dozing. She gently touched Mrs. Thornley’s shoulder to wake her. It took a few
tries before she would wake. “Mrs. Thornley, are you feeling ok?” Heidi asked. Mrs. Thornely just
gazed at Heidi lethargically. Heidi frowned. The feisty resident was typically much more likely to
yell at her when she walked into the room. With a great deal of encouragement, Heidi helped Mrs.
Thornley swallow her juice with her medication in it. She asked if Mrs. Thornley would like to
have a rest, and helped her settle into her bed for a nap. “I’ll need to let nights know how she is this
afternoon, this isn’t usual for her,” Heidi thought. “ I hope she’s not getting the flu or something.”
Wednesday, 1315 hours
Heidi called Melisa to help her in Mrs. Thornely’s room. Cheerful as always, Melisa popped into
the room singing to herself, but stopped as she saw Heidi struggling to help Mrs. Thornley take off
her clothes. “What’s up, ladies?” Melisa asked. This wasn’t a typical scene in Mrs. Thornley’s room,
as she noted Mrs. Thornley barely moving and certainly appearing unaware of Heidi’s efforts.
“I’m glad you are here, Melisa. Mrs Thornley has been incontinent, and I need to clean her up, but
she seems so out of it, she’s almost dead weight here!” Heidi frowned. “I wish I knew what time
Dr. Ko was coming in. I called her this morning and told her about how drowsy Mrs. Thornely has
become. She said she’d come in to see her, but she hasn’t arrived yet. I’m getting really worried.
I’ve called her daughter to let her know, and she is coming. I don’t want her mom to be in a mess
when she gets here.”
“Of course,” answered Melisa. Between the two of them, Heidi and Melisa managed to clean up
and re-dress the elderly lady, who seemed almost completely unaware of her surroundings. Heidi
pulled out a stethoscope as she felt Mrs. Thornley’s radial pulse, which was barely palpable.
“Melisa, I’m having trouble finding her blood pressure, it’s low. Can you see if the daughter is here
yet? Mrs. Thornley has a DNR, but they should know that she’s not well. Can you also ask Marnie
to call Dr.Ko again?” asked Heidi.
The daughter, Esther, was already at the lodge, but had been waiting outside her mother’s door
waiting for Heidi and Melisa to finish. Esther came in and sat with her mother, shocked at the
severe deterioration in her condition. She called other family members, and her two children
arrived to see their grandmother too.
page 35medication administration in nursing practice workbook