route abbreviations

PTCB PTCE
Order Entry and Processing
Matrix
Difficulty 3 of 5

Question

A pharmacy technician is organizing route instructions for pharmacist review. Match each abbreviation with its meaning.

Row	By mouth	Under the tongue
PO	✓ Correct	Not correct
SL	Not correct	✓ Correct

Answer

PO: By mouth · SL: Under the tongue

Rationale

The route abbreviation tells where a medication is given. PO identifies the oral route, while SL identifies placement beneath the tongue.

RememberDistinguish the oral route from sublingual placement.

Sources

Sources marked “Adapted from” are licensed under CC BY 4.0. We changed the material: its facts are rewritten into an original question, answer options and rationale. The original authors and publishers do not endorse SwipeExam.

Adapted from Open RN Nursing Skills, 2nd edition: Chapter 15 Administration of Enteral Medications Open RN (Chippewa Valley Technical College) · License: CC BY 4.0 · Retrieved November 2, 2026 · Components of a Medication Order › Route of Administration · 2nd edition, 2023

Last verified: November 5, 2026 2 independent automated checks Question ptcb-oep-00010, version 1

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