Overview
Introduction
Three medications are given to virtually every newborn in the first hour of life, and the nurse must know the rationale, route, and safety monitoring for each.
NCLEX-RN
NCLEX-RN
Three medications are given to virtually every newborn in the first hour of life, and the nurse must know the rationale, route, and safety monitoring for each. Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment prevents serious eye infection acquired during birth, phytonadione, or vitamin K, prevents hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, and the hepatitis B vaccine begins protection against hepatitis B. These are high-yield because their routes and administration rules are precise and frequently tested. Each medication corrects a specific newborn vulnerability. The eyes are exposed to maternal organisms during vaginal birth, the gut is sterile and cannot yet make vitamin K, and the newborn benefits from early hepatitis B immunization. Getting the route and technique right is what makes them effective and safe. Consider a case: you are the nurse who has just instilled erythromycin ointment into a newborn's eyes when the parent asks you to wipe the baby's eyes clean. Which action is correct? You explain that you will not flush or wipe the eyes, because the ointment must remain in the conjunctival sac to work, and you continue with the vitamin...
Unlock full lesson + practice questions
11 more sections with scenarios, priorities, and review drills.
Final rapid review before practice
Next study step
Finish the lesson first, then choose a focused activity to apply what you just reviewed.
Continue studying
Sign in to save progress on this lesson.
Unlock the interactive lesson quiz with a plan that includes this NCLEX-RN pathway. You can still explore topic-filtered questions from the bank hubs below.