The nurse is conducting an admission assessment, and asks the client what medication is taken for pain. the client responds, "i take a little white pill to control my pain, but i don't know the name of it," and presents the nurse with a plastic baggie full of white pills. what is the priority nursing intervention?

I would say the priority of the nursing intervention would be to find out what these pills are ie the name and compostion and effects of them to ensure they will not harm the patient or have not already harmed him or her and thus remove the concern over the type of pill. Chances are that it would be something innocuous like aspirin or tylenol but that would have to be determined for sure.