Common Med-Surg Medications Every Nurse Should Know in 2025: Administration Tips

If you are a med-surg nurse and you walk into your first shift, it might feel like you are stepping into a storm of medications. Imagine your first patient needs pain management medication, one is due for antibiotics, and the third patient has high blood pressure. Which meds do you reach first? Knowing the most common med-surg medications and how to safely administer them is not an option, but important. You don’t need to know every drug by heart, but here are some of the most common med-surg medications every nurse should know in 2025.

Before we dive into the most common med-surg medication of 2025, sign up with SkillGigs and secure high-paying travel nursing jobs. Not only that, you can get a $500 bonus if you sign a contract with SkillGigs.

Common med-surg medication in 2025 that every nurse should know

Whether you are a med-surg nurse, nursing student, or travel med-surg nurse, it is important that you know the most common med-surg medications, their uses, side effects, routes, dosages, and administration tips. Here is the list of the most common med-surg drugs in 2025 with examples and administration tips.

Analgesics and Pain Medications

Analgesics are pain medications that relieve pain by blocking the pain signals from reaching the brain or altering the brain’s perception of pain. These medications relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness. Some of the examples of Analgesics are:

• Ibuprofen (Advil)
• Morphine
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Administration tips:

1. Always check the pain level before administering the medication
2. Do not exceed the maximum daily dose.
3. Assess for respiratory depression with opioids like morphine because opioids can suppress the respiratory center in the brain.
4. Educate the patients if there is any non-pharmacological pain management option, for example, heat and cold therapy, relaxation techniques, massage therapy, etc.

Antibiotics

Antibiotic medications are used to kill bacteria or stop them from multiplying and treat only bacterial infections and not viral infections. Some of the examples of antibiotic medications are as follows:

• Ceftriaxone (Rocephin)
• Vancomycin
• Piperacillin-Tazobactam (Zosyn)

Administration tips:

1. Before starting therapy is important to obtain cultures.
2. Monitor the patient for allergic reactions.
3. Ensure proper infusion rates.

 

 

Anticoagulants

These med-surg medications help prevent blood clots from forming. They reduce the blood ability to clot and lower the complications such as pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke, etc. They do not dissolve the existing clots, but stop the blood clots from getting larger. Common examples of anticoagulant medications are:

• Heparin
• Warfarin (Coumadin)
• Enoxaparin (Lovenox)

Administration tips:

1. Nurses should assess the patient’s baseline clotting status.
2. Patients are at risk of internal or external bleeding; therefore, it is important to monitor the patients for signs of bleeding such as bruising, bleeding gums, or nosebleeds, etc.
3. Educate the patient to avoid activities that increase injury risk and maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K.
4. Use proper injection techniques to reduce bleeding, bruising, or tissue damage.

Cardiac medications

Cardiac medications are drugs used to treat heart conditions. These medications work in different ways; some lower the blood pressure, and some regulate the heart rhythm etc. These medications are used to treat conditions like heart failure, angina, etc. Some of the examples of med-surg cardiac medications are as follows:

• Metoprolol (Lopressor)
• Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
• Furosemide (Lasix)

Administration tips:

1. Check vitals before administering medications.
2. Monitor the electrolytes.
3. Some med-surg cardiac medications can lower blood pressure when moving from lying to standing.
4. Check renal function for ACE inhibitors and diuretics because many cardiac medications affect the kidneys.

Diabetic Medications

Diabetic medications help in managing blood glucose levels in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Some of the common med-surg medications for diabetic patients are as follows:

• Insulin
• Metformin
• Glipizide

Administration tips:

1. Before administration, check the glucose level.
2. Monitor for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.
3. Always rotate the injection sites for insulin.
4. Timing of medication with meals.

Quick safety tips for med-surg nurses to administer med-surg medications

• Always follow the “five rights.” Right person, Right medication, Right dose, Right route, Right time.
• Always double-check the high alert medications.
• Assess and monitor the patient after administering medications.
• Always document the administration of med-surg medications accurately and report if you see any reactions.
• Always educate the patient about their medications and side effects.

What are the five rights in medication administration?

The five rights, also known as the five rights of medication administration, are important to ensure safe medication administration in patients and prevent errors.

1. Right patient: Identify the patient with their correct name, date of birth before administering medication.
2. Right medication: Make sure that the medication name, dosage, and formulation match the orders to prevent any mistakes.
3. Right dose: Administer the right dose to the patient as prescribed by the physician.
4. Right route: Administer medication via the correct route, such as by mouth, IV, or injection, etc.
5. Right time: Administering medication to the patient at the right time.

What to do if med-surg nurses administer the wrong medication?

Mistakes happen. As a nurse, if you have made any mistake while administering medication to the patient, you should do the following:

• Assess the patient and look for any adverse effects.
• Report the error to the charge nurse.
• Document the error and its reaction.
• Reflect and learn from the situation to avoid mistakes in the future.

What should I do if the patient refuses to take medication?

If the patient refuses to take the med-surg medications, then you should do the following:

• Educate the patient about the benefits and risks of medication.
• Report to the charge nurse.
• Document the refusal.

Conclusion

Stepping into the med-surg nursing can be overwhelming, but remembering the common med-surg medications and how to safely administer them to the patients will make a lot of difference. Don’t worry, you don’t have to learn every medication by heart, but some common med-surg medications and drugs you should know in 2025 to survive med-surg nursing.

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