A practical nurse (PN) is assigned to care for a group of clients on a medical-surgical unit. When preparing and administering pharmacological therapies, which of the following actions are appropriate and within the PN's scope of practice? Select all that apply.
- Administering a scheduled dose of subcutaneous heparin to a client with deep vein thrombosis.Answer
- BAdministering an intravenous (IV) push dose of furosemide to a client experiencing an acute exacerbation of heart failure.
- Reinforcing previous education about dietary potassium intake for a client who is newly prescribed oral spironolactone.Answer
- DAdministering the live-attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine to a client who is currently in their second trimester of pregnancy.
- Auscultating the client's apical pulse for 60 seconds before administering a scheduled dose of oral digoxin.Answer
- FConfirming a client's identity by asking them to state their first name only, bypassing the barcode scanner due to a damaged identification band.
Answer
The appropriate actions are administering subcutaneous heparin, reinforcing dietary education for spironolactone, and auscultating the apical pulse prior to digoxin administration.
The correct actions align with the practical nurse's scope of practice, which includes administering non-intravenous medications (such as subcutaneous heparin), collecting focused data (such as an apical pulse before digoxin), and reinforcing teaching initially provided by the registered nurse (such as dietary restrictions for spironolactone).
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Practical Nurse Scope of Practice and Medication Safety