CCN Medication Administration & Emergency Response 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A correctional nurse is administering medications during pill call. An inmate refuses to swallow an oral medication and attempts to cheek it. What is the most appropriate nursing action?
- Document the refusal and notify the provider
- Require the inmate to open their mouth and lift their tongue after administration (Correct answer)
- Crush all oral medications to prevent cheeking
- Administer the medication via injection instead
Correct answer: Require the inmate to open their mouth and lift their tongue after administration
Mouth checks after oral medication administration are a standard correctional nursing practice to confirm ingestion and prevent diversion.
Question 2: Which controlled substance schedule requires the most stringent documentation and security measures in a correctional facility?
- Schedule III
- Schedule IV
- Schedule II (Correct answer)
- Schedule V
Correct answer: Schedule II
Schedule II controlled substances have the highest abuse potential among prescribed medications and require the strictest documentation, counting, and secure storage protocols.
Question 3: An inmate on methadone maintenance therapy is found unresponsive with pinpoint pupils and a respiratory rate of 6 breaths/min. What is the priority intervention?
- Administer naloxone per protocol (Correct answer)
- Obtain a stat blood glucose level
- Place the inmate in recovery position and monitor
- Contact the provider before intervening
Correct answer: Administer naloxone per protocol
Signs of opioid overdose (unresponsiveness, miosis, respiratory depression) require immediate naloxone administration as the life-saving priority intervention.
Question 4: During a correctional facility mass casualty event, which triage category should receive immediate life-saving intervention?
- Black — expectant
- Green — minor
- Red — immediate (Correct answer)
- Yellow — delayed
Correct answer: Red — immediate
Red-tagged patients in the START triage system have survivable life-threatening injuries requiring immediate intervention to prevent death.
Question 5: A nurse is preparing to administer insulin to a diabetic inmate. Which action is most important before administration?
- Ensure a second nurse witnesses the draw
- Verify blood glucose reading and correlate to the prescribed sliding scale (Correct answer)
- Confirm the inmate has eaten within the last 4 hours
- Check that the insulin vial has not expired
Correct answer: Verify blood glucose reading and correlate to the prescribed sliding scale
Verifying the current blood glucose and matching it to the prescribed sliding scale order is the critical safety step before insulin administration to prevent hypoglycemia.
Question 6: An inmate with a history of seizures is found postictal on the unit floor. What is the nurse's first action upon arrival?
- Administer prescribed rescue benzodiazepine immediately
- Assess airway patency and place in lateral recovery position (Correct answer)
- Restrain the inmate to prevent injury
- Obtain IV access for medication administration
Correct answer: Assess airway patency and place in lateral recovery position
Airway management and positioning to prevent aspiration are the immediate priorities in the postictal phase after a seizure.
Question 7: Which practice BEST reduces the risk of medication diversion during pill call in a correctional setting?
- Allowing inmates to take medications back to their cells
- Performing pill call only in the morning
- Observing ingestion and conducting mouth checks for all oral medications (Correct answer)
- Using blister packs exclusively for all medications
Correct answer: Observing ingestion and conducting mouth checks for all oral medications
Direct observation of ingestion combined with mouth checks is the most effective strategy to confirm medication consumption and prevent diversion.
CCN Medication Administration & Emergency Response 2
A correctional nurse is administering medications during pill call.
An inmate refuses to swallow an oral medication and attempts to cheek it.
What is the most appropriate nursing action?