Math for Nurses question

[got4babygirls]

hi! I just started my Math for Nurses class last week. We have 3 classes then 3 chances to take the test. I am doing ok memorizing the conversions but 2 types of questions are giving me a hard time. If anyone could help me that would be fantastic!

Question 1.How many drams would you give if the doc ordered gr xxiv and the bottle is marked gr xii/oz. Grains kill me, I have such a hard time with them. we have a few grain fraction problems that I can not get either.

Question #2. a patient is ordered 50mL D5W with 1 gm Kefzol over 30 min. How many drops per minute should the bottle be timed at if the drop factor is 20 gtt/mL?

I understand straight forward IV problems but when the time is under 1 hour I become confused. I think I have to double the amount of meds given, but would that increase the gtt/mL as well?

Thanks so much for any help. I hope this isn't too long.

Eileen

[got4babygirls]

Hint: 1 grain can be either 60mg or 65 mg.

You will never see anything ordered in drams anymore, how old is your exam?

Dosages have been standardized.

Next problem: You are giving the drug in 50 ml over 30 minutes.

What would be your drip factor is you were giving it over one hour? How many drops per minute? Then just do the calculation to change the rate.

Please try again with these hints and see if you can figure it out first. :)

Thanks! I figured out the IV problem, I am still having a rough time with the grains. Even though we are told we will not be encountering grains very often, we still need to know them to pass the class and before we are able to take NURS 110. Anything involving grains, espically when it is in fraction form is so difficult for me.

Thanks so much for your help! :)

Eileen