Dosage calculations aahhh !!! Need help plsss

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

:confused: OKAY SOOO I AM DOING GOOD SO FAR SO GOOD IN MY LPN SCHOOL AND OMG MATH IS MY FEARRR I FEEL LOST WITH DOSAGE CALCULATIONS! MY TEACHER CONFUSES ME I don't WANT TO FAIL OUT BECAUSE OF MATH I've MADE IT THIS FAR...ANY TIPS OR HELP OR EXPERIENCES WILL BE GREATLYY APPRECIATED ANYONE ELSE EVER FEEL LIKE THIS? ...I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT I CAN DO THE EASY ONES EX CAPSULES I GET VERY VERY CONFUSED WHEN ITS LIQUIDS...ALSO, IS THIS REALLY ALL THE MATH NURSES NEED THROUGHOUT SCHOOL ? THIS AND IV DRIP RATES...I JUST WANT TO STUDY ALL THIS AND UNDERSTAND IT I AM SOO NERVOUS.....!

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Hi. I'm not sure if we're allowed to post links on this site but you could check out http://www.dosagehelp.com/

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.
:confused: okay sooo i am doing good so far so good in my lpn school and omg math is my fearrr i feel lost with dosage calculations!!! my teacher confuses me i dont want to fail out because of math ive made it this far...any tips or help or experiences will be greatlyy appreciated anyone else ever feel like this? ...i just want to understand it i can do the easy ones ex capsules i get very very confused when its liquids...also, is this really all the math nurses need throughout school ? this and iv drip rates...i just want to study all this and understand it i am soo nervous.....!

first, please don't capitalize the whole post. that means you are shouting.

what i did in lpn school to be proficient in all this med calculations is i purchased a med math book and practice all the problems. med calculations are not that bad when you practice because you are basically doing a simple algebra such as converting and stuff.

good luck to you.

angel

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

thank you :)

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
:confused: OKAY SOOO I AM DOING GOOD SO FAR SO GOOD IN MY LPN SCHOOL AND OMG MATH IS MY FEARRR I FEEL LOST WITH DOSAGE CALCULATIONS!!! MY TEACHER CONFUSES ME I DONT WANT TO FAIL OUT BECAUSE OF MATH IVE MADE IT THIS FAR...ANY TIPS OR HELP OR EXPERIENCES WILL BE GREATLYY APPRECIATED ANYONE ELSE EVER FEEL LIKE THIS? ...I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT I CAN DO THE EASY ONES EX CAPSULES I GET VERY VERY CONFUSED WHEN ITS LIQUIDS...ALSO, IS THIS REALLY ALL THE MATH NURSES NEED THROUGHOUT SCHOOL ? THIS AND IV DRIP RATES...I JUST WANT TO STUDY ALL THIS AND UNDERSTAND IT I AM SOO NERVOUS.....!

Welcome to allnurses.com LPN Student Forum. I certainly hope that you receive lively interaction, support and meet new peers along your nursing journey. I also need to echo that capitalizing an entire post translates to the Internet as shouting. The tone of your post does not indicate that, however, some participants may interpet it that way and I am sure this was not your intention.

To answer your question, I can relate to your fears, because I was always afraid of math. But, for some reason, nursing math wasn't that bad for me because I chose the formula that I was most comfortable with. I use Dimensional Analysis. If you can find or purchase an old Dosage Calculations book that uses this formula, that may be helpful to you. Do nurses use this sort of math on a daily basis? It depends on where you are working. If you were working in ICU, pediatric (inpatient), chemotherapy and others, I would say 'yes' (however-at least in my facility, they don't use LPNs in any of the places I mentioned except in Pediatrics. Have I used it? Twice on the job (been an LPN since 2006), and when I apply for agency positions, these math questions do, in fact, show up on their medication tests.

Again, it depends on where you will be working. I would try and get a med calc book that uses dimensional analysis...it saved my life...LOL. Good luck!

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Specializes in CNA, MA.

ohh thank you so much I will be going on ebay to search for that!!!! I did not mean to "shout" sorry lol I guess my nerves got the best of me for a moment!! But I thank you very much for this advice I will def try this for sure. :)

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

http://www.amazon.com/Medical-Dosage-Calculations-June-Olsen/dp/0132384701/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262981878&sr=1-6

This is the textbook I used while in nursing school, and I appreciated it better. We were not confused with the different formulas...they are all basically the same with dimensional analysis. A small variation or so, but, I got an A and I am math-phobic!

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Specializes in Rehabilitation.

The way I learned is simple:

D

- X U =Amount to Give Patient

H

D=Dose you want

H= What you have

U= Units you have

Example #1: If I want 50mg of Fakeicilin, and I have 25mg TABLETS on hand, this is how I set up the problem:

D

- X U

H

50mg

----- X TABLET = 2 TABLET

25mg

(It's a simple math problem; be sure to realize that the units [mg] cancel each other out.)

Example #2: If I want 100mg of laxrickomycin, and I have 20mg/5mL solution, I'd set the problem up like this:

D

- X U

H

100mg

------ X 5mL = 5 X 5mL = 25mL

20mg

These problems are incredibly easy, but the formula works with nearly every (first semester) nursing school med calculation problem. Now I'm no expert, but I'm going into my second semester of LPN school and this math trick had me smash nearly every drug calc quiz I had.

I haven't done IV medication or unit dose medications, so I have no idea if this works there since I don't have too much experience with it. DON'T FLAME ME FOR TRYING TO HELP! ;)

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
The way I learned is simple:

D

- X U =Amount to Give Patient

H

D=Dose you want

H= What you have

U= Units you have

Example #1: If I want 50mg of Fakeicilin, and I have 25mg TABLETS on hand, this is how I set up the problem:

D

- X U

H

50mg

----- X TABLET = 2 TABLET

25mg

(It's a simple math problem; be sure to realize that the units [mg] cancel each other out.)

Example #2: If I want 100mg of laxrickomycin, and I have 20mg/5mL solution, I'd set the problem up like this:

D

- X U

H

100mg

------ X 5mL = 5 X 5mL = 25mL

20mg

These problems are incredibly easy, but the formula works with nearly every (first semester) nursing school med calculation problem. Now I'm no expert, but I'm going into my second semester of LPN school and this math trick had me smash nearly every drug calc quiz I had.

I haven't done IV medication or unit dose medications, so I have no idea if this works there since I don't have too much experience with it. DON'T FLAME ME FOR TRYING TO HELP! ;)

No one should flame you. Each person has to use the system that helps them the most, and thank goodness there are a few formulas out there to choose from. I don't think I could have survived nursing school if I had to apply Clark's rule, Fried's rule for peds, etc... Just reading about it years before I actually had an opportunity to go to nursing school made me uncomfortable! When I finally had to sit for the dosage class, I got the book a semester ahead of time and reviewed it. When I saw dimensional analysis, it comforted me a great deal. These forums are for just this reason...each person shares their experience and what worked for them and the person seeking the advice has to decide which is best for THEM. We just hope that each person that participates here finds that there are several roads of success and we have to tailor it and pick the system that works best for our individual needs. Thanks for sharing. Even if it doesn't help the OP, your explanation, I am sure, has helped someone here.

1
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Specializes in CNA, MA.

thank you everyone!!! Everyone is so helpful thank you (Glad im not the only mathphobic :)!!!!

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If you just remember the equation "desiered over have x quantity" you will always be able to figure out your dosage. When you are converting, the decimal gets moved 3 places to the left or right depending if you are making it bigger or smaller.

I have always been terrible at math, but I graduated LPN school in December as valedictorian...YOU can do this too. Stay clam, take a deep breath and smile. This is a temporary adjustment for you. Soon it will be second nature.

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hello laxxricklpn! i really enjoyed your swift and clear calculation explanation. i am definitely a math phobe. do you have a clear formula like this for iv meds? i just got accepted into lpn school, my first day is on thursday, jan., 20th. we will be having a math exam and i am super nervous! we have to score 90% or above. btw, where did you learn this method?

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