Can someone help with these drug calculations?

Nursing Students General Students

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I am about to start my second semester and we were given these to work on for practice.

Can someone explain the way they would figure these 3 questions out. I know the answers but im having a hard time figuring them out, I think I might be making them harder than they really are. I can't find problems like these in my dosage and calculations book either.

Thanks everyone, any help would really be appreciated.

3. Order: Administer 500 mg of Theophylline in 250 ml of D5W.

Available: The pump is set at 13 ml/h.

How many mg is the patient receiving per hour?

4. Order: 1 liter of Normal Saline with 20,000 units of heparin to infuse at 42 ml/hr.

How many units of heparin per hour will the nurse be infusing?

5. Order: Administer 7 units per hour of regular insulin IV.

Available: Regular insulin 50 units in 100 ml of 0.9 NaCl.

The nurse would set the pump at how many ml per hour?

Answers are

3. 26 mg/hr

4. 840 units/hr

5. 14 ml/hr

I believe we are 90%, we have to take a 10 question math test every semester, but someone said the final course you need them all right.

Oh .......my........gosh those look like chemistry problems! Now Im freaking out.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Oh .......my........gosh those look like chemistry problems! Now Im freaking out.

Do not freak out. The reason they look like chemistry problems is because the technique of dimensional analysis is used in chemistry and physics as well to help solve problems. It is also called the factor/label method. The reason is because what you are doing is deliberately manipulating ratios, another name for fractions, that have labels attached to them so you can factor out, or cancel out, repeatedly used labels on some of the numbers so all you are left with are the numbers to do the math on a calculator (or with paper and pencil) and the labels that you want left over. This is very strategically planned calculation. There are other ways to do these problems, but DA (dimensional analysis) is the most accurate and assured way of coming to the correct answer. Once you understand how to do it and have worked a number of problems successfully with it you will understand it better. It is only a tool.

At my school there are no calculators allowed all math has to be worked out loooooooooong hand. Everything- say you gotta convert 2/3 to a decimal.

Well you gotta write it out 3 / 2.000

That seems strange, how would you do the questions I posted without a calculator. I mean, it's possible but it would sure suck!

At my school there are no calculators allowed all math has to be worked out loooooooooong hand. Everything- say you gotta convert 2/3 to a decimal.

Well you gotta write it out 3 / 2.000

Specializes in Emergency.

We need to get 100%. 3 shots at it. Calculators allowed.

Specializes in Neuro, Med/Surg, Longterm care.

Daytonite that is so wonderful! I love that calulation method. I have my med-calc test tomarrow and you have helped soooo much! I may be able to sleep tonight:)

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