Dosage and literature

[Alicia_Has_Tats]

Hi all,

I'm very sad. I have struggled with math my whole life.

I'm not doing well in my dosage calculations class at all.

All I want in life is to be a Psych nurse(career wise) and I feel like my lack of math skills will hinder me.

I'm sure i'm going to have to take the class again and of course I'll will work hard, but a lot of math concepts don't stick. I'm in an accelerated program, there just isn't enough time to fully grasp anything. A lot of our classes we have to kind of self teach. I'm wondering how often I would do dosage calculations in psych?

Also, While I have the floor...

Any Psych books that would help me in my journey would be greatly appreciated. I have a year before I graduate, but I would love to know as much about psych as possible.

Thanks :)

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I don't do a lot of med calculations as psych drugs are generally not dosed based on weight. Nor do providers really deviate from the standard dosages available.

That being said, if I do have to do a calculation, dosage calculations in psych would be the same as dosage calculations in med-surg or any other specialty.

[TCASII, ADN]

Are they teaching dimensional analysis? That was so easy to me and I'm no math wiz. Most psych meds, as Meriwhen stated, are not based on weight, therefore you never do calculations. Once in a while though a larger pt will require a higher dose and start higher on a pill form. Doing injections is usually straight forward and so is insulin, but you need to know how to do it. Never know when you might need to convert for either of those. No matter what, you need to be proficient in drug calc to pass the NCLEX. No nurse should be confused about doing the math when needed. Granted, in the field you can usually access a cheat sheet, drug calculator, or ask for a second look, but that doesn't excuse anyone from knowing.

The formulas are so easy, just memorize them. We had maybe 10? Practice, practice, practice. That's the key.

Also, psych books? Try to find books that help you understand how to respond to patients and how to talk to them. Most textbooks are loose in that dept or lack it completely. Instead they cover the academic aspect of psych which is largely useless in the field. You are treating symptoms and dealing with behavior, not focusing on the minutia of diagnostic criteria or etiology.