Be Realistic

Expecting students to flawlessly execute all components of medication research and the “10 Rights of Medication Administration” from the outset may not be reasonable, considering that learning is a process that involves building upon knowledge and skills through practice and making mistakes. While the “10 Rights” serve as a critical framework for ensuring patient safety and minimizing medication errors, an overly rigid expectation for perfection might contribute to student anxiety, fear of making mistakes, hindering the learning process, and increasing the likelihood of error. It’s important to foster an environment where students can learn under clinical supervision, encouraging growth and confidence in their clinical judgment and skills, yet not be entirely responsible for all aspects of the patient’s safety. The partnership of a clinical instructor with the student allows for responsibility to be shared until the student has mastered the knowledge, skills and judgment to have more autonomy.