What is the first step in the med pass?

• A. Wash Hands
• B. Verify physician order
• C. Check resident's ID
• D. Document administration

Answer: (A)

Cleaning your hands before anything else is the essential first step in med pass because it prevents introducing germs to both the resident and the medications. Hand hygiene is the foundation of infection control and sets a safe baseline for every step that follows. After washing, you would move on to the other critical checks—verifying the physician’s order to confirm the correct medication and dose, and confirming the resident’s identity to ensure you’re treating the right person—before documenting administration. In short, without clean hands, the entire med pass process is compromised, so hand washing comes first.