Authors

  1. Rothenberger, Cynthia DNP, RN, ACNS, BC

Article Content

Understanding, applying, and communicating effectively with other health care professionals about medications is foundational to safe nursing practice. Informal discussion with prelicensure nursing students in a pharmacology course indicated that, although they gained foundational knowledge about medications, they lacked confidence in discussing medications during clinical experiences because they were unsure they could pronounce generic names correctly. A low-stakes assessment was designed to overcome this concern. Generic drug names were exclusively used during class discussion. In addition, students were given information about online sources of audio files with correct drug name pronunciation at the beginning of the semester. The activity was completed on designated days throughout the semester. Several students were selected to participate, whereas others were engaged in small group classroom activities. Each student briefly stepped out of the classroom into a private area. The student randomly selected an index card with the generic name of a drug, which was previously covered in the course, and said the name aloud to course faculty. Each student completed the assignment once during the semester and was offered 2 attempts. One quiz grade worth less than 0.5% of the total course grade was awarded for correct pronunciation. Response was positive, and students anecdotally expressed a higher degree of confidence in their ability to communicate accurately and safely about medications during clinical experiences.