CMA Treatment Planning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A resident returns from the hospital with new medication orders. Before giving any medications, what should happen?
- A nurse reconciles the new orders and updates the MAR and care plan (Correct answer)
- The aide follows the old MAR
- The family brings medications from home
- The aide picks which orders to follow
Correct answer: A nurse reconciles the new orders and updates the MAR and care plan
Medication reconciliation by licensed staff after a hospital return prevents errors from conflicting orders.
Question 2: Which observation should a medication aide report because it may mean the treatment plan needs to change?
- The resident had a visitor
- The resident has been unusually drowsy since starting a new medication (Correct answer)
- The resident watched TV
- The resident enjoyed lunch
Correct answer: The resident has been unusually drowsy since starting a new medication
Changes in alertness after a new medication can be side effects that need a nurse's review.
Question 3: A care plan for a resident at risk for falls includes giving a diuretic in the morning instead of the evening. What is the main reason?
- To improve the taste
- To reduce nighttime trips to the bathroom and fall risk (Correct answer)
- To avoid drug storage problems
- To make the drug cheaper
Correct answer: To reduce nighttime trips to the bathroom and fall risk
Morning diuretic doses reduce nighttime urination, which lowers the risk of falls in the dark.
Question 4: A resident's care plan has a goal for an antipsychotic dose reduction. Under federal rules, this approach is called:
- PRN conversion
- Gradual dose reduction (GDR) (Correct answer)
- Automatic stop order
- Medication holiday
Correct answer: Gradual dose reduction (GDR)
Federal long-term care rules require gradual dose reduction attempts for psychotropic drugs unless clinically contraindicated.
Question 5: If a medication aide is asked to do a task in the treatment plan that is outside their scope of practice, they should:
- Do it only if the resident agrees
- Politely decline and tell the nurse (Correct answer)
- Ask another aide to do it
- Do it to be helpful
Correct answer: Politely decline and tell the nurse
Aides must never perform tasks beyond their training and state scope, and should tell the delegating nurse.
Question 6: A resident's care plan lists nonpharmacological interventions to try before a PRN anti-anxiety drug. Which is an example?
- Giving a double dose
- Offering music, reassurance, or a quiet setting (Correct answer)
- Giving the medication without asking
- Locking the resident in their room
Correct answer: Offering music, reassurance, or a quiet setting
Comfort measures such as music or redirection are tried first to reduce unnecessary psychotropic use.
Question 7: A resident's care plan lists an allergy to penicillin, but the MAR shows a new order for amoxicillin. What should the aide do?
- Give the amoxicillin since it's a different name
- Hold the medication and notify the nurse right away (Correct answer)
- Give half the dose to test
- Ask the resident if they feel allergic
Correct answer: Hold the medication and notify the nurse right away
Amoxicillin is a penicillin-type antibiotic, so this possible allergy conflict must be raised before giving it.
