North Carolina Medication Aide (Med Tech) Practice Exam

Consulting with a licensed nurse for guidance is the best approach when a medication dose is missed. This course of action ensures that the healthcare professional can assess the situation appropriately, taking into account the specific medication, the condition being treated, and the time elapsed since the dose was missed. Nurses are trained to make decisions based on clinical guidelines and the patient's health status, and they can provide the best advice on how to proceed—whether it’s administering the missed dose, adjusting the medication schedule, or observing the patient for any adverse effects.

Choosing to administer double the dose at the next scheduled time may pose risks of overdose or adverse effects, which is why it is important to consult a professional first. Skipping the dose without guidance might lead to insufficient therapeutic effects or complications if the medication requires strict adherence to the schedule, while informing the pharmacy may be necessary for refill purposes but does not directly address how to manage the missed dose in the immediate situation. Thus, consulting a licensed nurse represents the safest and most responsible option when handling missed medication doses.