Begin by washing your hands.

Some institutions also recommend wearing protective gloves.

Check the label to make sure you are using the correct medication and the correct concentration.

Then check the expiration date and the lot number.

For certain medications, the lot number needs to be recorded.

Remove the cap from the bottle.

Examine the rubber stopper for defects such as small cores or plugs torn from the stopper.

Inspect the contents for any foreign particles and to detect any changes in the color and consistency of the medication.

Place the bottle on a flat surface.

Insert the needle straight in and inject some air, equal to the volume of medication you will be withdrawing into the syringe.

Invert the bottle and withdraw slightly more medication than you will need.

Send air bubbles to the top of the syringe by flicking the barrel with your fingers.

Inject the bubbles back into the vial and make final adjustments to the volume of medication.

If you will not be injecting the medication immediately, safely recap the needle.

With ampules, gently flick the tip to shake all the medication down into the base.

Grasp the tip with gauze and snap the neck off, pointing it away from yourself to avoid small glass fragments.

Holding the ampule, carefully insert the needle and withdraw the proper dose.

This may be easier if the ampule is stabilized on a flat surface.