Clinical Experience - PO Medications

Giving my first PO medication was more nerve racking than giving my first subQ injection. My patient was at risk for aspiration which made me nervous. I had to make sure which medications could and could not be crushed. I double and tripled check the medications in fear of making a med error. As I crushed each pill that could be crushed in the pill crusher, I was nervous because I wanted to get every little crumb so that the patient could get the exact dose prescribed. Let me tell you getting out all the crushed powder is not as easy as it looks. Not only was my patient at risk for aspiration, but she was on continous oxygen therapy with a ventimask and I had to make sure her oxygen saturation maintained above 92%. As she swallowed each pill, I had butterflies in my stomach hoping that each one would make it down to her stomach. I will never forget my first PO medication administration.