Final answer:
A nurse must wear a NIOSH-approved respirator when administering aerosolized hazardous drugs to protect against inhaling dangerous airborne particles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse wears a NIOSH-approved respirator when administering aerosolized hazardous drugs. This type of personal protective equipment is essential to protect healthcare providers from inhaling potentially harmful airborne particles associated with these drugs. While intravenous (IV) push chemotherapies and other forms of chemotherapy also involve stringent safety measures, it is specifically the administration of aerosolized hazardous drugs that necessitates the use of a high-efficiency respirator. On the other hand, oral, intravenous, topical, or parenteral routes for administering antimicrobials to treat systemic infections would not typically require the nurse to wear a NIOSH-approved respirator.