NC Medication Aide Exam Study Guide 2025 – Complete North Carolina State Exam Prep with Practice Test Questions, Verified Correct Answers, Detailed Explanations, and A+ Graded Study Resource for Guaranteed Success

PO

by mouth

PR

per rectum

OD

right eye

OS

left eye

OU

both eyes

AD

right ear

AS

left ear

AU

both ears

SL

sublingual (under the tongue)

SQ

subcutaneous (under the skin)

per GT

through gastrostomy tube

QD

every day

BID

twice a day

TID

three times a day

QID

four times a day

q_h

every _ hours

qhs

every night at bedtime

ac

before meals

pc

after meals

PRN

as needed

QOD

every other day

ac/hs

before meals and at bedtime

pc/hs

after meals and at bedtime

stat

immediately

gm

gram

mg

milligram

mcg

microgram

cc

cubic centimeter

ml

milliliter

tsp

teaspoonful

tbsp

tablespoonful

gtt

drop

ss

half

oz

ounce

mEq

milliequivalent

MAR

medication administration record

OTC

over the counter

SIG

label or directions

The following are abbreviations for drug routes EXCEPT:

PO

IM

PD

SL

PD

You receive an order for nitroglycerin to be given sublingually. It would be given:

Under the tongue

By mouth

Instilled in the ear

Applied to the skin

Under the tongue

The following are abbreviations for dosages or strengths of medications EXCEPT:

mg

mL

gm

PD

PD

If you are not sure of an abbreviation it is okay to guess. T/F

False

It is important to know the policy on approved abbreviations for your facility. T/F

True

A milliliter is the same as a milligram T/F

False

Over the counter (OTC) drugs may be kept as floor stock or house stock in an adult care home. T/F

True

When administering medications it is okay to leave a resident's medication at the bedside if the resident is present. T/F

False

You are legally responsible for any medication or treatment you administer. T/F

True

Medications should be given within one hour before or one hour after the prescribed or scheduled time of administration. T/F

True

Residents have a right to refuse medications. T/F

True

Oral medications must be stored separately from topical or external medications. T/F

True

Staff giving medications in adult care homes have to demonstrate certain skills with administering medications and be checked off or validated by a registered nurse or registered pharmacist. T/F

True

Regulations for the accountability or recordkeeping of controlled substances differ from the regulations for non-controlled medications. T/F

True

Unlicensed staff in adult care homes may administer intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SQ) injections. T/F

False

A telephone or verbal order for medications and treatments must be signed by the person who prescribed the medication within:

15 days from when order was given

30 days from when order was given

20 days from when order was given

none of the above

15 days from when order was given

Information or documentation on the MAR for PRN (as needed) medications that are administered includes:

the amount or quantity of medication administered

the specific time of administration

the initials of the person administering the medications

the effectiveness of the medication

all of the above

all of the above

Mr. Jones, a resident of an adult care home, is going to visit his family for the week. The proper way to prepare Mr. Jones' prescription medications to take with him would be to:

Remove the amount of medications needed for the week from the resident's supply of medication, place the medications in labeled containers and document the medications sent on the appropriate facility form

Send the medications in containers that have been filled and labeled by a pharmacist and document the medications sent on the appropriate facility form

Send the medications in containers that have been filled and labeled by a pharmacist and document the medications sent on the appropriate facility form

The resident's physician or prescribing practitioner is to be contacted about the resident's medication orders:

If the FL-2 is not dated and signed within 24 hours of admission to the facility

When the medication orders on a FL-2 and discharge summary do not match

If a medication order is incomplete or unclear

All of the above

All of the above

The facility is required to maintain or keep all medication orders for a resident:

In the resident's record in the facility

at the pharmacy

in any type of notebook or record, as long as the order is in the facility

in the resident's room

In the resident's record in the facility

The following statement about non-prescription (OTC) medications is FALSE:

they may be kept in the original container with the manufacturer's label and expiration date

They may be packaged and labeled by a pharmacist

They may be administered to a resident without a physician's order

They can produce unwanted effects

They may be administered to a resident without a physician's order

Which of the following is TRUE when prepouring or preparing medications in advance:

Oral solid medications (tablets and capsules) for routine administration may be prepared within 24 hours of the prescribed time for administration

PRN medications may be prepared in advance

Medications may be crushed at the time the medications are prepoured or prepared in advance

A, B, and C are true

Oral solid medications (tablets and capsules) for routine administration may be prepared within 24 hours of the prescribed time for administration

You have to document on MAR when a medication is:

Administered

Refused

Omitted

All of the above

All of the above

In order for a medication to be administered you must have:

permission from the family

a drug handout of information from a pharmacist

a physician's order

a physician's order

"as needed" PRN medications must be administered according to:

the facility's administration time schedule for medications

the resident's choice of time and frequency

the reason and frequency of administration specified in the physician's order

the family's request on how often the medication can be given and for what reasons

the reason and frequency of administration specified in the physician's order

When should medications be signed off on the MAR?

after a resident has been observed to actually take the medication

after all the residents have been administered their medications and observed to actually take the medications

after the medications label is checked with the MAR

before the county or state visits the home

after a resident has been observed to actually take the medication

You remove a resident's medications from the packages or containers and the resident refuses to take his 12PM medications, you should:

Put each medicine back into the appropriate container or package that the medication came from

Leave the medications with the resident in case the resident decides to take the medications later

Dispose of the medications in accordance with the facility's policy and procedures

Both A and C are correct

Dispose of the medications in accordance with the facility's policy and procedures

When medications are stored in a refrigerator that is accessible to residents, the medications are to be:

Stored in a separate container in the refrigerator

stored in a separate locked container in the refrigerator

stored in a separate locked container in the refrigerator

Three of the four statements below are requirements when residents administer their own medications. Which one is not a requirement for self-administration?

A physician's order is necessary for the resident to self administer

The physician is contacted if there is a change in the resident's physical or mental abilities

The medications are to be stored in a safe and secure manner

The resident has to be observed to take each dose of medication

The resident has to be observed to take each dose of medication

One of the best ways of identifying the correct resident is to:

ask another staff member

ask another resident

ask residents to spell their names

use photographs of the residents

use photographs of the residents

Checking the label against the MAR three times should always:

Be done with each medication administered to each resident

Be done by the new staff members

Be done if you do not know the resident

Be done if it is a new medication order

Be done with each medication administered to each resident

All of the following are examples of medication errors EXCEPT one. Which one of the following is Not a medication error?

the omission of a prescribed medication

the refusal of a medication by a resident

failing to perform any of the six rights of medication administration

administering medications that have not been prescribed including OTCs or non-prescription medications

the refusal of a medication by a resident

If you are unable to read the physician's handwriting on a prescription or health services record or the directions for a medication are incomplete, you should:

Leave the orders for the staff on the next shift

contact your supervisor, the pharmacist, or the physician

ask the resident or a family member

use your best "guess"

Contact your supervisor, the pharmacist, or the physician

When a resident has difficulty swallowing, the resident is at risk for:

asthma

aspiration

arrhythmia

arthritis

aspiration

When administering medications, the main concern with leaving medications at the bedside is that:

the resident may never take the medication and someone else may

the medications may accumulate dust

it may increase confusion

a staff member might report you

the resident may never take the medication and someone else may

when administering medications, it is safe practice to:

rely only on the color of the medication

rely only on the shape of the medication

rely only on the location of the container

read the label and the MAR each time a medication is administered

read the label and the MAR each time a medication is administered

When a medication cannot be administered on time:

document the reason for the delay on the MAR

call the resident's family

don't worry about it and continue with your work

tell the kitchen staff

document the reason for the delay on the MAR

If the resident expressers concern about a medication you are about to administer:

give it anyway

walk away and document "refused"

double check the medication and dosage information

give it to his roommate

double check the medication and dosage information

The medication label and the MAR are compared:

when selecting or removing the medication from the supply or storage area

before pouring the medication

after pouring and before returning the medication to the supply or storage area

all of the above

all of the above

A resident returns from a home visit and the resident's mother brings an over-thecounter medication that she purchased and asks you to administer it for cold symptoms, you should:

give the medication as requested

refuse and throw the medication away

Explain to the mother that even over-the-counter medications require a physician's order

explain to the mother that even over-the-counter medications require a physician's order

You are with a resident at a doctor's appointment. The physician writes an order for Amoxicillin and you know the chart is flagged "Allergic to Amoxicillin". You should:

Administer the medicine as ordered, the physician knows best

remind the physician of the allergy warning

pull the allergy label off the record

remind the physician of the allergy warning

Then new orders are received, the MAR is changed to reflect the new orders. T/F

True

A resident's allergies should be documented on the MAR and the resident's record. T/F

True

A drug reference book is a helpful tool to identify or find information on medications and dosages and side effects. T/F

True

If you question a dosage, give the medication then call the pharmacy. T/F

False

A medication cannot cause a resident to be confused. T/F

False

A delay in administering a medication may cause a life-threatening incident. T/F

True

A medication that is ordered sublingually may be chewed or swallowed. T/F

False

Side effects of medications may include:

change in behavior

rash

change in swallowing

change in mobility or walking

all of the above

all of the above

A medication arrives from the pharmacy, and there is no order for the medication on the MAR, you should:

Copy the directions on the medication label onto the MAR

administer the medication according to the directions on the medication label

Look in the resident's record for an order an/or notify the supervisor, nurse, or pharmacist before administering the medication

Omit the medication and write a note for the next shift to check on it

Look in the resident's record for an order an/or notify the supervisor, nurse, or pharmacist before administering the medication

When you are administering a medication and the order on the MAR does not match the directions on the medication label, you should:

Administer the medication according to the MAR

Notify the supervisor, nurse, or pharmacist and/or look in the resident's record for the current medication order

Administer the medications according to the directions on the medication label

omit the medication and leave a note for the next shift

Notify the supervisor, nurse, or pharmacist and/or look in the resident's record for the current medication order

resident

A resident has just returned to the facility from the hospital and the medication order on the FL-2 is "continue previous medications" you should:

Ask the resident or family member if there were any medication changes

administer the medications that the resident was receiving prior to hospitalization

contact the resident's physician for medication orders

contact the resident's physician for medication orders

A medication order is transcribed onto the MAR:

only after the medication arrives from the pharmacy

only after the family brings in the medication

only after a physician's order for the medication is received by the facility

all of the above

only after a physician's order for the medication is received by the facility

When measuring liquids, which of the following statements is FALSE:

A teaspoon or tablespoon from the kitchen may be used

A calibrated syringe or dropper is often necessary for measuring amounts less than 5mL and unequal or odd amounts

When using a medication cup, it should be placed on a flat surface and measured at eye level

you never approximate or guess the amount of medication to administer

A teaspoon or tablespoon from the kitchen may be used

When administering 2 or more different eye drops at the same time, which of the following apply:

Wash your hands prior to and after administration of the eyedrops

Wear gloves when there is redness, drainage, or possibility of infection

Allow a 3-5 minute period between the administration of each eye medication

sign/initial the MAR after the administration of each type of eye drop

all of the above

all of the above

Before administering a "PRN" medication, you need to:

know the reason the medication is being requested and look at the MAR to see when the medication was last administered

know the reason the medication is being requested and ask the resident when the medication was last administered

know the reason the medication is being requested and look at the MAR to see when the medication was last administered

Mrs. Smith has an order for Darvocet N-100 1 tablet every 4 hours as needed for pain. According to the MARs, she has been taking the Darvocet at 8AM, 12PM, 4PM and 8PM every day for the past 2 months. Which of the following statement is correct?

Schedule the Darvocet for 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm (on the MAR)

Just continue to administer the medication when Mrs. Smith requests the Darvocet

Mrs. Smith's physician should be contacted about how often Mrs. Smith is taking the Darvocet

Mrs. Smith's physician should be contacted about how often Mrs. Smith is taking the Darvocet

You are assigned to administer 8:00 am medications today. It is 8:00 am and the residents need to be at the workshop by 8:00 am, the van is waiting. You should:

Pour medications from memory

Get the untrained staff (no medication training) to assist you

Administer medications as you were trained, even if this means the residents will be late for the workshop

Tell the residents you will bring their medications to the workshop and administer them later

Administer medications as you were trained, even if this means the residents will be late for the workshop

Mr. Cook who is an alert and oriented resident refuses all of his morning medications. He says the medications do not help him and he doesn't need them. Your best response is to:

Encourage the resident to take the medications by explaining the importance and purposes of the medications

Tell the resident "your physician said that you must take this medication." and force him to take the medications

Hide the medications in the resident's food or drink

Leave the medications with the resident, in case he decides to take them later

Encourage the resident to take the medications by explaining the importance and purposes of the medications

When administering the medications this morning, Mrs. Walls is extremely difficult to wake up. She is having difficulty swallowing her medications. You should:

Crush her medications so she will be able to swallow the medications and then notify your supervisor, nurse or physician

Hold her medications at this time and immediately notify your supervisor, nurse or physician

Hold her medications at this time and immediately notify your supervisor, nurse or physician

"Ambien 5mg po as needed for sleep":

is a complete medication order

is an incomplete medication order

is an incomplete medication order