This ATI Medication Administration Test (25 Questions) is a fundamental nursing
assessment designed to verify your competency in dosage calculations, patient safety, and clinical
pharmacology principles.
Key study information compiled from popular, and verified test banks outlines the core breakdown
of what you need to know.
Core Calculation Questions
Dosage calculations make up a significant portion of the exam. Make sure you can comfortably
compute the following types of conversions:
• Digoxin Conversion: Administering 250 mcg PO when supplied with 0.125 mg tablets
requires a 2-tablet dose (\ (0.25\ text {mg} \div 0.125\text{mg}\)).
• Household to Metric: Converting fluid volume, such as realizing that 0.5 oz of orange
juice equals 15 mL or 8 oz of water equals 240 mL (or 1 cup).
• Liquid / Suspension Math: Calculating fractional amounts, such as administering codeine
oral solution where 30 mg PO is needed and 10 mg/5 mL is available, resulting in 15 mL
(which equals 1 Tbsp).
• Rounding Rules: Knowing standard rounding rules (e.g., rounding liquid volume to the
nearest hundredth for precise syringes, like 0.893 mL becoming 0.89 mL).
Safety and Medication Administration Rights
This exam tests your mastery of safety protocols to minimize medication errors.
• The Six Rights: You will be tested on the seamless application of the Six Rights of
Medication Administration: Right Patient, Right Medication, Right Dose, Right Route, Right
Time, and Right Documentation.
• Patient Verification: You must always use at least two forms of identification before
giving a drug—comparing the client's wristband, asking them to state their full name, and
stating their date of birth.
1
, • High-Alert Medications: For high-alert medications like insulin, the priority action is
always to have a second licensed nurse independently confirm the dose before
administration.
• Time-Critical Windows: "STAT" orders must be administered within 30 minutes of the
health care provider writing the prescription
Pharmacokinetics and Routes
Understanding how drugs move through the body is crucial for clinical decision-making.
• Absorption Speeds: The intravenous (IV) route features no barriers to absorption and has
the fastest onset, while oral medications have the slowest onset due to the first-pass
metabolic effect.
• Injection Angles: Intradermal injections (such as TB skin tests) require inserting the
needle at a 5° to 15° angle just under the epidermis.
• Drug Tolerance: Recognizing that tolerance occurs when a patient's response to a
medication decreases over time, requiring a higher dosage to achieve the identical
therapeutic effect.
Quiz_________________?
0.5 Tab -
ANSWER✅
A nurse is preparing to administer cephalexin 0.25 g PO every 6 hr. Available is cephalexin
500 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer per dose?
Quiz_________________?
0.55mL -
ANSWER✅
A nurse is preparing a medication and calculates the dosage as 0.547 mL. Rounding this
amount to the nearest hundredth, the nurse shoulf administer how many mL?
2
assessment designed to verify your competency in dosage calculations, patient safety, and clinical
pharmacology principles.
Key study information compiled from popular, and verified test banks outlines the core breakdown
of what you need to know.
Core Calculation Questions
Dosage calculations make up a significant portion of the exam. Make sure you can comfortably
compute the following types of conversions:
• Digoxin Conversion: Administering 250 mcg PO when supplied with 0.125 mg tablets
requires a 2-tablet dose (\ (0.25\ text {mg} \div 0.125\text{mg}\)).
• Household to Metric: Converting fluid volume, such as realizing that 0.5 oz of orange
juice equals 15 mL or 8 oz of water equals 240 mL (or 1 cup).
• Liquid / Suspension Math: Calculating fractional amounts, such as administering codeine
oral solution where 30 mg PO is needed and 10 mg/5 mL is available, resulting in 15 mL
(which equals 1 Tbsp).
• Rounding Rules: Knowing standard rounding rules (e.g., rounding liquid volume to the
nearest hundredth for precise syringes, like 0.893 mL becoming 0.89 mL).
Safety and Medication Administration Rights
This exam tests your mastery of safety protocols to minimize medication errors.
• The Six Rights: You will be tested on the seamless application of the Six Rights of
Medication Administration: Right Patient, Right Medication, Right Dose, Right Route, Right
Time, and Right Documentation.
• Patient Verification: You must always use at least two forms of identification before
giving a drug—comparing the client's wristband, asking them to state their full name, and
stating their date of birth.
1
, • High-Alert Medications: For high-alert medications like insulin, the priority action is
always to have a second licensed nurse independently confirm the dose before
administration.
• Time-Critical Windows: "STAT" orders must be administered within 30 minutes of the
health care provider writing the prescription
Pharmacokinetics and Routes
Understanding how drugs move through the body is crucial for clinical decision-making.
• Absorption Speeds: The intravenous (IV) route features no barriers to absorption and has
the fastest onset, while oral medications have the slowest onset due to the first-pass
metabolic effect.
• Injection Angles: Intradermal injections (such as TB skin tests) require inserting the
needle at a 5° to 15° angle just under the epidermis.
• Drug Tolerance: Recognizing that tolerance occurs when a patient's response to a
medication decreases over time, requiring a higher dosage to achieve the identical
therapeutic effect.
Quiz_________________?
0.5 Tab -
ANSWER✅
A nurse is preparing to administer cephalexin 0.25 g PO every 6 hr. Available is cephalexin
500 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer per dose?
Quiz_________________?
0.55mL -
ANSWER✅
A nurse is preparing a medication and calculates the dosage as 0.547 mL. Rounding this
amount to the nearest hundredth, the nurse shoulf administer how many mL?
2
