100% dosage calculations?

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I was sitting here looking at my dosage calculations book(& wondering why I decided to go to nursing school:lol2:) &I started thinking. My school requires a 100% on your dosage calculation test and allows you to take 1 retake test.

I understand why they require this but I was just wondering if most schools do this

Specializes in OR, MS, Neuro, UC.
Yes, I sure am passing medications to 18 patients at a long term care facility on a daily basis. I also have a job as a PRN medication nurse at a psychiatric hospital. In addition, I have never committed a medication error. Med math is virtually never utilized in healthcare facilities.

Even in facilities with unit dose systems and Pyxis machines packaging errors are made. In LTC there aren't usually pharmacy services 24/7 and you'll need to take dosages from an emergency kit. That said, math is still greatly utilized in health care facilities and nurses and students should always remember that the misplaced decimal point or incorrect calculation could mean the patient's life. I don't have last years stats but I know patients are still dying from med errors. As a new LVN >20 years ago a resident wrote a chemo order on an infant with a treatable ca, misplaced his decimal and neither the pharmacist or the RN caught it. Baby died a slow death from a chemo dose 100 x the correct one. Schools need to have a 100% requirement, my RN program did and no one failed, we just studied harder. Use that calc book and practice!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Emergency.
As a new LVN >20 years ago a resident wrote a chemo order on an infant with a treatable ca, misplaced his decimal and neither the pharmacist or the RN caught it. Baby died a slow death from a chemo dose 100 x the correct one.

Thats actually a good story that should be shared with nursing students re: medication calculations. Well maybe a good story for the learning opportunity that comes from it, not so much for the infant or parents :o

I remember one of our instructors shared a similar story with us, and it really hits home how important med calcs are. 100% is not an unreasonable expectation.

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90% @ my college. The test wasn't required in the past but all future, applying students are given three chances to pass. If you don't pass the first test you are required to take a med/dose class. I didn't do very well on the first test but I had never seen any dosage calculations ever. I had to take the class in a sort of 2 week crash course at the end of this past semester. The college just added it onto the courses I was already taking. I passed in with the 90% required.

Once I start the program I have to take a calculations test every week. I figure I'm going to be a pro in the end.

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I got a 100% on mine first time. We were required to get a 90%. We can retake it twice and appeal for a third time. We use DA. Second year we take it again and have to get a 100%.

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This post is old, I realize, but I have to say, ANYTHING LESS THAN 100 IS UNREASONABLE. LESS THAN 100 EVERY TIME MEANS THAT YOU MIGHT KILL PEOPLE WITH DRUG MISCALCULATIONS. IS IT OK TO DO CALCULATIONS IN THE REAL WORLD AND ONLY BE CORRECT ONLY 92% OF THE TIME. I DONT THINK SO.

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We're required to get a 90% first year, 100% second year.

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PS:

ANYTHING LESS THAN 100 IS UNREASONABLE. LESS THAN 100 EVERY TIME MEANS THAT YOU MIGHT KILL PEOPLE WITH DRUG MISCALCULATIONS. IS IT OK TO DO CALCULATIONS IN THE REAL WORLD AND ONLY BE CORRECT ONLY 92% OF THE TIME. I DONT THINK SO.

Haha! I agree but the caps are too good.

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Specializes in Licensed Practical Nurse.

i believe my school does so also! but if you think about it, med errors is a serious issue for the profession today! especially calculating dosages by body weight is crucial, so you might wanna thank them for making the standards so high! of course i hate math as well, but dosage calculations are ok for me with alot of practice! believe me you'll be thanking the school for those standards, you'd hate to loose your license because you calculated wrong and the patient was harmed!

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

Can anyone give me an example of a dosage calculation. I've never seen this before in my pharmacology class. Thanks,

J

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Oh Lordie, my best friend called me crying not long ago about that class. She has three tries and she was on her third try and if she did not pass, she was OUT! 100%. She had me on the phone at 5 a.m. praying and I told her if she did not pass, I was coming after her!! I love her dearly. She did pass!!

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Can anyone give me an example of a dosage calculation. I've never seen this before in my pharmacology class. Thanks,

J

Here is a simple one;

Order: Lanoxin 0.125 mg

Available: Lanoxin 0.25 mg tablets

The answer is to give: 1/2 tablet

There are a few different methods of finding the answer but I wont go into those.

Some of the problems are very simple (like the example I just gave) but some are more difficult as you have more steps to go through before getting the answer

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