Medical Administration, Pharmacology, and Nutrition Module
Hello, Nurses and Nursing Students! Welcome to another edition of the BrainyNurses.com newsletter, specifically designed to provide you the information that you need to master the NCLEX and become the nurse that you want to be. Get ready for a discussion that will include Pharmacology and other valuable information!
We hope that you are having a great school year and are ramped up for taking the NCLEX! It is a great week here, as our celebrated NCLEX Review textbook is now also available through Amazon.
Now, getting on to the topic this week. We will be discussing some key considerations that are taught in greater detail during our “Medication Administration, Pharmacology, and Nutrition” Module of our Online NCLEX Review. Many of our students struggle with pharmacology, but we will try to point us some methods that have been developed by our founder Cindy Liette, RN, during her years of nursing and instructing future nurses.
Cindy likes to use acronyms to help her students remember complex subjects, which will enable quicker recall during the stress of taking the NCLEX. The first acronym that we will discuss is SLUDGE
SLUDGE is used to describe the cholinergic (parasympathetic) and anticholinergic (sympathetic) side effects that may occur with drugs that we administer to our patients. Lets break down SLUDGE into its individual letters to show the different symptoms that may be observed in the patient
S = ↑ Salivation and sweating (Cholinergic)
↓ Salivation and sweating (Anticholinergic)
(Dry mouth and inability to perspire)
(Decreased tolerance to heat)
L = ↑ Lamacrition (Cholinergic)
↓ Lacrimation (Anticholinergic)
(Dry eyes, pupillary dilation, impaired vision)
U = ↑ Urinary incontinence (Cholinergic)
↓ Urinary incontinence (Anticholinergic)
(Urinary retention)
D = ↑ Diarrhea (Cholinergic)
↓ Diarrhea (Anticholinergic)
(Constipation)
G = ↑ Gastrointestinal cramps (Cholinergic)
↓ Gastrointestinal cramps (Anticholinergic)
(Constipation)
E = ↑ Emesis (Cholinergic)
↓ Emesis (Anticholinergic)
(Not a side effect)
For your studying, you can also refer to this flashcard made just for your enhanced understanding of SLUDGE!
We will also discuss intramuscular injections and the important considerations that the nurse must remember to take care of their patients when administering medication. Prior to discussing the various intramuscular sites, it is important to remember that the nurse must position the patient to relax the muscle prior to giving the injection.
The four main IM sites and their individual considerations that must be mastered for successful completion of the NCLEX are below.
1. Vastus Lateralis
• Large muscle in adults.
• Use in kids at any time, even < 3 years.
2. Deltoid
• OK for nonirritating meds in adults.
• Never in kids.
3. Ventrogluteal
• Preferred in adults due to sciatic nerve injury with dorsogluteal
• Use in kids > 3 years.
4. Gluteus Medius or Dorsogluteal
• May cause sciatic nerve injury
For more information on this important subject, the below infograph will be helpful to enhancing your understanding!
The final subject will be discussed during the Pharmacology newsletter is the importance of considering which medications are the most likely to cause nausea and how to mitigate the impact that this will have on the patient. When administering one of these medications, ensure that it is given with food. When a medication causes nausea, give it with food. On rare instances, the dosage may need to be increased if given with food. Avoid dairy products except with steroids.
The following medications are the most likely to result in nausea and be administered in accordance with the proper considerations to decrease the nausea that the patient may experience.
- Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- Hydralazine (Apresoline)
- Lithium (Lithobid)
- Propranolol (Inderal)
- Ketoconazole (Nizoral)
- Spironolactone (Aldactone)
- Iron and iron containing medications
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents
- Theophylline (Theo-dur, Slo-bid, Uniphyl)
There are so many other considerations that the nursing student must master in order to successfully pass the NCLEX, which are discussed in great detail in our online course and NCLEX review book. We hope that the flashcards provided in the post are helpful to you and ask that you share them with your friends in nursing to spread this information.
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