Medical Assistant how-to
How to Give an Intramuscular Injection
Intramuscular injections deliver vaccines and medications into muscle tissue. Follow your clinic’s policy and the provider’s order every time.
Intramuscular injections deliver vaccines and medications into muscle tissue. Follow your clinic’s policy and the provider’s order every time. In short: verify; perform; locate, then complete the remaining steps below.
Step by step
Verify the order and check the rights of medication administration: right patient, drug, dose, route, time and documentation. Confirm allergies.
Perform hand hygiene, put on gloves and gather the medication, correct needle length and gauge, alcohol pad, gauze and bandage.
Locate the site (for the deltoid, about two finger-widths below the acromion process) and clean it with alcohol. Let it dry.
Stretch the skin taut and insert the needle at a 90-degree angle with a quick, steady motion.
Inject the medication slowly and steadily, then withdraw at the same angle and activate the safety device.
Apply gentle pressure with gauze and a bandage. Never recap: drop the needle in a sharps container right away.
Document the drug, dose, route, site, lot number and expiration date, and observe the patient for reactions per policy.
Safety reminders for medical assistants
- Follow standard precautions and perform hand hygiene before and after every patient contact
- Never recap needles: use safety devices and sharps containers at the point of use
- Follow OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and accept the hepatitis B vaccination your employer offers
- Verify patient identity and the provider’s order before every procedure or medication
Key terms
Vital signs · Chief complaint (CC) · EHR · HIPAA · Rooming · Intramuscular (IM) injection: see the full medical assistant glossary.