10 Drug Handling Tips for New Paramedics

Starting a career as an EMT or paramedic? You’re on an exciting and challenging path. Let’s help you start your experience on the right foot with the best practices you need for success.

Few aspects of your job will carry as much responsibility as handling mediations. Administering epinephrine in a chaotic emergency or logging controlled substances after a long shift requires careful attention and top prioritization of patient safety. Here’s what new first responders need to know.

1. Build Your Knowledge Base

Before you can handle drugs safely, you need a good understanding of the drugs you’ll be handling, their function, drug interactions, and expectations. While this is a big part of training, the pharmaceutical industry is ever-changing, so it’s important to review and stay up on the latest info.

Study the medications you’ll most commonly be handling in the field. Learn:

• Mechanism of action: how the medicines work in the body.
• Indications: when to use them.
• Contraindications: when NOT to use them.
• Side effects and dosages

Real-world practice is always different than classroom learning (and even shadowing others in the field). Regularly reinforce your knowledge and solidify it with flashcards, apps, peer study groups, and regular reading. Safe handling begins with confidence in your knowledge.

2. Always Double-Check

In an emergency, there is almost always chaos and stress. When you’re providing patient care, time is critical, but accuracy is even more important. Take a second to confirm the “five rights” rule before dispensing any substance.

Confirm the five rights:

1. Right patient
2. Right drug
3. Right dose
4. Right route
5. Right time

Even if you're positive it's all correct at first glance, pause for a second check. Better yet, have a partner confirm. It takes only a few seconds to prevent errors that could be devastating and even potentially life-threatening.

3. Handle Controlled Substances with Care

Controlled substances like fentanyl and ketamine are tightly regulated by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). The DEA’s drug schedule is designed to indicate which types of medications should be dispensed more carefully because they pose a higher risk for abuse, diversion, or misuse.

As a new paramedic, you’re expected to keep all vials secure at all times. Part of this process means following your agency’s chain-of-custody procedures. Document every administration, waste, or transfer, so it’s clear exactly what happened with the medication.

Protocols around controlled substances are crucial. It's not just about complying with a DEA reporting requirement. Mistakes can put your certification and license at stake. It can also put patients in harm's way. It's crucial that drugs are handled with care and respect.

4. Keep Medications Secure

The chain of custody means that at some point, if you’re handling medications, the responsibility falls on your shoulders. Never leave drugs unattended, even for a moment. Whether you’re on the scene, in your rig, or back at the station, security should be a top priority.

Lock storage compartments and drug boxes when not in use. Practice transparency and good communication with your partner, so you both know where the medication is and are aware of the status at all times. Should something go awry, report missing and tampered medications right away.

5. Stay Organized in High-Pressure Situations

Most paramedics are already meticulous, but emergencies can be chaotic. The more organized you are, the less likely you will be to make mistakes or mishandle medications under pressure. Best practices include:

• Arranging your drug bag logically, keeping the most-used items accessible.
• Following standard operating procedures for checking inventory at the beginning of every shift.
• Restocking inventory immediately after calls, whenever possible.

These seemingly small steps can go a long way toward keeping you organized and saving precious time in the field.

6. Immediately Document

Logging medications isn't the most exciting part of the job, by far. But documenting and tracking drug use is one of the most critical actions you can take to protect yourself, your patients, and your agency.

Tools like LogRx make logging easy and fast. There are no handwriting logs or juggling spreadsheets. You can track medication right from your phone in real time (and even offline). This helps to ensure accurate compliance and patient billing. Moreover, it creates a clear record for audits and inspections, thereby protecting you legally.

7. Learn the Proper Storage Requirements

Bear in mind that many medications are sensitive to light, heat, and freezing temperatures. As part of your process of familiarizing yourself with the medications you frequently use, learn how the drugs should be properly stored in your rig at the station.

It's also important to check expiration dates regularly and rotate stock so you're using up older medications first. Tools like LogRx can help you manage drug inventory—letting you know when you're running low on medications and it's time to replenish your stock. Proper handling and storage help you make sure medications are safe and effective when they're dispensed to patients, protecting them from unexpected adverse effects.

8. Communicate Clearly with Your Team

Emergency response is rarely a solo task. You’re part of a team, and it’s important that you’re on the same page with your partner(s) during the entire response process. You may be preparing meds or an intravenous line, while a partner is managing an airway or driving the rig.

Good practices mean verbally confirming the medication name and dosage before it's administered. Let your partner know that you've given a drug and log it together (or communicate that you're logging it).

Teamwork isn’t just a buzzword for EMS professionals. A strong, communicative team prevents errors and helps everyone stay confident on the scene. It keeps the process smooth and safe, no matter what type of emergency you’re facing.

9. Respect the Weight of Responsibility

The job of a paramedic is exciting and, for some people, the perfect fit. It's important always to recognize that with the job comes a lot of responsibility and accountability for everything that happens on your shift.

Drug handling should fall into that purview. It's so much more than just checking a box and following EMS protocols. It's a serious responsibility. A single mistake with a pharmaceutical can have life-altering consequences for you and your patient.

Although the responsibility is heavy, it’s also an amazing opportunity. Your protection of your patients is paramount to the job. Each time it goes successfully, you strengthen trust in your entire agency.

10. Embrace Tools That Simplify Compliance

Drug handling doesn’t need to be challenging or difficult. There are technological tools out there today that streamline the drug handling processes, freeing up your valuable time and energy.

LogRx provides a comprehensive solution for logging drugs quickly and accurately. Because it works from your phone or handheld device, you can take it with you wherever you go, no extra equipment or stress needed.

Back at the station, administrators have real-time visibility to help them track inventory and avoid the hassles of paper logs. Documentation is clear and audit-ready, protecting you and your team members from liability and hassle.

When you’re new on the job, medication handling can feel slightly intimidating (especially the first few times you administer something to a patient). Protect yourself with strong habits like knowing your drugs, double-checking each step, careful documentation, and clear communication.

Fortunately, you don't need to go it alone. Tools like LogRx make logging and compliance easy, fast, and reliable. To learn more about how LogRx can support your agency's employees from their first day to a long career, reach out today.