All Nursing Exams

How to read a medication order in English

A complete order names the patient, drug, dose, route, frequency, date, time and prescriber. Check the five rights CMS names before you give it.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: A complete medication order names the patient, the drug, the dose, the route and the frequency, with the date, the time and the prescriber's name. Before you give it, confirm the five rights that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) names: right patient, right medication, right dose, right route and right time.

Each employer's policy and each regulator's standard decide what is required where you work; this page teaches language, not policy.

What a complete order contains

CMS hospital guidance says every drug order must include at least:

  • the name of the patient
  • the age and weight, when needed to calculate the dose
  • the date and time of the order
  • the drug name
  • the dose, frequency and route
  • when they apply: dose calculation requirements, exact strength or concentration, quantity or duration, and specific instructions
  • the name of the prescriber

The Joint Commission requires each hospital to define a complete order in a written policy that includes at least the medication name, dose, route and frequency.

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) says nurses accept only clear, complete and appropriate orders. If an order is not, the nurse does not carry it out and follows up with a prescriber without delay.

The five rights before you give it

CMS lists the five rights to confirm before each administration: right patient, right medication, right dose, right route and right time. For right patient, CMS gives examples of identifiers: the patient's full name, a hospital identification number, or the date of birth.

CMS notes that some sources list more rights, but there is no agreement yet on more than five. The five rights also cannot catch a prescribing or dispensing error.

A sample order, read part by part

Mr. A, 68 years, 72 kg. November 10, 2026, 8:00 AM. Metoprolol tartrate 25 mg by mouth twice a day for high blood pressure. Dr. B.

Part In the order What it tells you
Patient Mr. A, 68 years, 72 kg Who receives it
Date and time November 10, 2026, 8:00 AM When it was written
Drug name Metoprolol tartrate The full name, not an abbreviation
Dose 25 mg The amount for one dose
Route by mouth Swallowed
Frequency twice a day Two times each day, at times your facility sets
Reason for high blood pressure Why it is given
Prescriber Dr. B Who to call with a question

Zeros and units. These rules come from The Joint Commission and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP):

  • Write a zero before a decimal point: 0.5 mg, never .5 mg.
  • Never add a trailing zero to a whole-number dose: 1 mg, never 1.0 mg.
  • Write "units" in full, never U or IU.
  • Leave a space between the dose and the unit: 10 mg, not 10mg.
  • For large doses, ISMP advises commas at 1,000 and above. ISMP notes that some countries use a comma as a decimal point.

Frequency and route words in plain English

Written form Plain English Notes
daily once a day ISMP's form in place of QD, OD and q1d
bd, BD twice a day Australia
tds, TDS three times a day Australia
prn, PRN when required Australia
stat immediately Australia
QHS or qhs at bedtime ISMP's form for bedtime
bedtime at bedtime Australia, which rejects Qhs
before food, after food before or after eating Australia, which rejects ac and pc
PO, by mouth, orally by mouth ISMP; Australia lists PO
SUBQ, subcutaneous under the skin ISMP; Australia uses subcut

BID, TID, PRN and STAT are not entries on ISMP's 2024 list, which neither flags nor approves them; your facility decides. The Australian forms come from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Its table marks bd, tds, prn and stat with an asterisk, so read its footnote.

Verbal and telephone orders

CMS says verbal orders should be rare and are not for the prescriber's convenience. In its words, "CMS expects nationally accepted read-back verification practice to be implemented for every verbal order." The receiving nurse documents it promptly, then dates, times and signs it. In British Columbia, BCCNM's standard tells the nurse to repeat the order back and document it promptly.

ISMP explains that read-back is more than repeating what you heard: write the order in the record, then read what you wrote back to the prescriber. Say each digit separately, and spell a drug name that could be misheard.

Dr. B: "Give furosemide 40 milligrams IV, one dose, now."

Nurse (writes it in the record, then reads it back): "I wrote furosemide, F as in Foxtrot, four zero milligrams IV, one dose, now. Is that correct?"

Dr. B: "Correct."

Phrases for an unclear order

  • "Dr. B, this is the nurse caring for Mr. A. I have a question about his metoprolol order."
  • "The order does not show a route. Which route do you want?"
  • "I cannot read the dose. Could you tell me the dose and correct the order?"
  • "I will hold this dose until we clarify the order."

What to do next

  1. Ask for your facility's order policy, and learn the list in Nursing abbreviations in English.
  2. Read three real orders aloud, part by part.
  3. Practice telephone read-back with the model call in SBAR: how to call a physician in English.

Common questions

Can any nurse take a verbal order?

The Joint Commission says only staff authorized by hospital policy, consistent with law, accept and record verbal orders.

Is HS still used for bedtime?

HS is not an entry in the 2024 ISMP list. Use the bedtime forms in the table above.

Why does the order need the patient's weight?

CMS lists age and weight so the dose can be calculated when needed.

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