As a student nurse, one of my primary responsibilities is medication administration. I administered a few medications under the supervision of the nursing staff. I have learnt about medication management and how important it is to avoid errors by arming myself with seven rights. One of which is the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right time, the right route, the right reason, and the right documentation. Before administering drugs, it is essential to obtain patients’ consent, as service users have the right to refuse. Permission is obtained from them to respect the patient’s autonomy.

The clinical nurse’s role includes a significant amount of drug administration. Doctors prescribe medications, which the pharmacist dispenses but is responsible for. Registered nurses are in charge of administration. As a student nurse, this has become my responsibility, which I must practice and become proficient at. This practice is part of preparing, checking, and administering medication, updating medication knowledge, monitoring treatment effectiveness, reporting adverse drug reactions, and teaching patients about the drugs they receive.

Accountability also applies to students; if I felt I was not competent enough to dispense a specific drug, I would be responsible for speaking up and informing the practice assessor so that I could shadow them and learn from them to help me in future practice and administration.

I was asked to administer a drug to a patient named Mr. Mark for confidentiality purposes. I had observed the clinical skill several times and previously administered medication under supervision. I was observed and supervised to administer oral medication to a patient. The drug has been dispensed and is ready to be administered with patient consent for me to administer the medication. My supervisor talked me through the procedure and told me they were struggling. The patient and his family have complied with the drug before, so I should keep an eye on him and ensure that he swallows his medication and that he does not support it in his mouth. The medication that the patient is on is bisoprolol. The decision to use bisoprolol is not taken lightly because of the potentially life-threatening side effects. Awareness of side effects is essential to primary care practitioners because they have the most contact with them.

I learnt that bisoprolol is used with other medicines to treat high blood pressure. Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems. Bisoprolol belongs to a class of drugs known as beta-blockers. It works by blocking the action of certain natural chemicals in the patient’s body, such as epinephrine in the heart and blood vessels. I advised the patient that the side effects of bisoprolol are tiredness, a slow heartbeat, diarrhoea, and dizziness. Also, I informed the patient to reduce the risk of dizziness and lightheadedness and to get up slowly when rising from a sitting position.

I was aware of being under the practice supervisor, which made me feel nervous and self-conscious, so I had to ensure that I was doing everything correctly and made no errors. Once my practice supervisor questioned my practice concerning whether I knew the side effects of the drug I was about to administer, I became even more aware of feeling nervous and under pressure. The patient was present, and I did not want the patient to think that I did not know what I was doing. So, before administering, I had to ensure that I was giving the medication to the right patient at the correct dose at the right time and route. All of these had to be done to guarantee that I was competent in administering medication under the supervision of the practice assessors. This also allowed me to carry out this task and get it signed off by my practice assessor in the essential skills cluster. The nurse-patient relationship is, by many, considered the core of nursing. This can be done to build a good relationship and rapport with the patient.

Administering medication and how this, combined with care, communication, and compassion, form the basis of a holistic approach to care, and with the knowledge I got from supporting literature, formed the foundation of my learning and practice.