The standard “5 Rights” are right patient, right drug, right, dose, right route and right time; however, some nursing texts included a sixth, seventh, and eighth “right,” which are right documentation, right reason and system analysis. The NCLEX’s rationale for understanding these “rights” is that the nurse can eliminate the majority of medication errors by following this checklist of “rights” for every patient.
Remember when answering NCLEX questions that the first step in giving a medication is assessing the patient. This means the nurse must check each patient’s vital signs, allergy/medical history and possible harmful drug interactions before giving any medication. Additionally the nurse must be able to educate the patient on her medications, so it’s important to know common medications, the purpose, and possible side effects. The best way to review this drug information is to learn drug classifications — drugs in the same class often have the same ending, as well as, similar actions and side effects.
Drugs in a medical facility are usually ordered using the metric system; although, some units of the out-dated apothecary system, such as the drop (gtt), are still in use. However, many patients are not familiar with these systems and prefer to use the household system, which includes cups and tablespoons. It is the responsibility of the nurse to be able to easily convert household units into both metric and apothecary.
For example, a common pharmacology memory aid for the side effects of steroids is "The 5 S’s" — sick, sad, sex, salt and sugar. Mnemonics for treatments include "MONA," which represents the steps of the stat treatment of a myocardial infarction — morphine sulfate, oxygen, nitroglycerin and aspirin. Another example is "UNLOAD FAST," which is for the treatment of congestive heart failure — upright sitting, nitroglycerin, Lasix, oxygen, aminophylline, digoxin, fluids (decrease), afterload (decrease), sodium (decrease) and tests (digoxin level, arterial blood gas, potassium).
There are many NCLEX pharmacology practice tests — some of which are free — available to practice with, including books, websites and software. Familiarize yourself and become comfortable with NCLEX style questions. Keep in mind, when answering a pharmacology questions, it is helpful to figure out the classification of the medication given. This may help you to determine its action or side effects. Also, if the question states a medical diagnosis, try to make a connection between the drug given and that diagnosis.