Staffing for comprehensive pharmaceutical services in a small hospital.

The use of licensed practical nurses as medication administration personnel under the administrative authority of the pharmacy department in a 140-bed hospital is described. The pharmacy department assumed responsibility for medication administration in its efforts to expand the scope and quality of its services and to control drug distribution more completely. A medication administration team (MAT) was developed that involves licensed practical nurses and technicians. The MAT members are trained through programmed instruction, on-the-job experiences, and a 32-hour pharmacology course taught by staff pharmacists. This medication administration team gives the pharmacy department control of the entire drug distribution system.