contact with less familiar medications and solutions. These are being prescribed to treat pre-existing/underlying medical conditions and diseases during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. Therefore, midwives need to maintain their knowledge and understanding of medications and their therapeutic usage, as well as ensuring competency in drug administration skills. This is because 'As a registrant you are accountable for your actions and omissions. In administering any medication, or assisting or overseeing any self-administration of medication, you must exercise your professional judgement and apply your knowledge and skill in the given situation' (NMC 2007). These standards reflect the importance of medicines administration within professional practice as well as the impact of extended practice and midwife prescribing on the midwife's role (NMC 2007). The standards include professional responsibility and accountability as regards practitioners' knowledge and understanding of the medication(s) prescribed, methods and route(s) for administration, normal dosage and timing, and therapeutic actions. This also extends to midwives' knowledge of any potential side effects as well as precautions and contraindications for use. Where practitioners get any part of the drug administration procedure incorrect, this has the potential to result in an adverse outcome, particularly where drug dosages need to be calculated prior to their reconstitution and/or administration. An area that can be particularly vulnerable to error is where drug administration involves complex calculations to ensure that clients receive the correct volume or dosage (ie quantity) of the medication that they have been prescribed. Complex drug calculations are often necessary when neonatal medications such as anti-retroviral