Freaking out over drug dose calculations test

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Specializes in Pediatrics, OB/GYN, ER, Geriatrics.

Here is my problem:

For the last 6 weeks we have been doing fundamentals...in order to stay in the program, you needed a 75% avg. okay, so I have a 96%. BUT then there is the drug dose calculations test coming up and MUST be passed with a 75% or better to move on to clinical. Our instructor gave us a "practice test" last week and I totally freaked out and started crying because I am afraid I will not pass this portion of the program. In addition, we have to shovel out $124 for ATI testing which is due by Oct. 1st, our drug dose test is not until the 5th! We do not pass, there is NO REFUND of the $124 that I really do not have.

My classmates, what is left of them (started with 40 down to 29), talked me out of dropping the entire program and so I am so scared that I am not going to pass this test. What can I do to prepare and at least get a 75%??? :crying2: My instructor keeps telling me "you will be fine" but he is basing that on my fundamentals score! I suck at math!!! :banghead:

Any advice on how you all managed to pass drug dose calculations would be most appreciated and sorry for the long post, but needed to vent.

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Specializes in Long Term, Psych, Dementia, Rehab.

just keep practicing

here is something that really helped me. it goes from basic math to what you need in nursing...and it gives you examples and rationale

share it with those you know.....

hope it helps....

http://www.adn.eku.edu/doc/math.pdf

:heartbeatnina, spn:redbeathe

graduating class of january 2010:yeah:

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i dont think you should leave the lpn program. my advice is to keep practicing and pray about it. im sure if you have a 96% avg in class this should be easy for you..goodluck and dont give upp

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Specializes in Pediatrics, OB/GYN, ER, Geriatrics.

Thank you everyone for the advice and encouragement, I am not going to drop out and going to keep studying and pray that I pass this test. I am just really stressing out about the whole thing and need to calm down and just trust God to help me through.

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In my med asst class there were a couple gals who had fits with dosaging problems. the teacher wasn't much help.

I helped them alot with working thru their obstacles by going over and over, problems that were from some pretty good websites that had dosage problems. I found them on this board - try this link:

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/nursing-math-websites-159044.html

when doing dosaging, beware of the addition of superfluous information.

follow the same steps every time. one of the biggest problems that these gals had was that they consistently wanted to remake the equation and the order in which the math functions were performed.

be sure your units are always identical. on every test I take w/dosaging problems, I write out the equations in the corner. I also include: when going from smaller -> larger unit, divide by 1000. when going from larger -> smaller, multiply by 1000.

for some reason, this makes my very linear brain work better. can't explain it. hey, whatever it takes!

good luck, don't panic.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Here is my problem:

For the last 6 weeks we have been doing fundamentals...in order to stay in the program, you needed a 75% avg. okay, so I have a 96%. BUT then there is the drug dose calculations test coming up and MUST be passed with a 75% or better to move on to clinical. Our instructor gave us a "practice test" last week and I totally freaked out and started crying because I am afraid I will not pass this portion of the program. In addition, we have to shovel out $124 for ATI testing which is due by Oct. 1st, our drug dose test is not until the 5th! We do not pass, there is NO REFUND of the $124 that I really do not have.

My classmates, what is left of them (started with 40 down to 29), talked me out of dropping the entire program and so I am so scared that I am not going to pass this test. What can I do to prepare and at least get a 75%??? :crying2: My instructor keeps telling me "you will be fine" but he is basing that on my fundamentals score! I suck at math!!! :banghead:

Any advice on how you all managed to pass drug dose calculations would be most appreciated and sorry for the long post, but needed to vent.

Let me start by saying that the negative self-talk "I suck at math" is not helping you. I'm a strong believer in the power of self-affirmation and I'd encourage to stop talking yourself down and instead start cheering yourself on.

The math required for dosage calculations is VERY SIMPLE... we're talking 5th grade math here. Unless you have a severe learning disability in math, there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to pass this test with 75% (many programs require 90%, 95%, or even 100%). If you think you might have a real learning disability then you should go to your school's disability office and be assessed in order to receive special accommodations.

You need to work lots of practice problems. Study up on unit conversions, ratios, and single-equation, first-order, linear algebra (meaning no exponents, 1 equation/1 unknown) like 6x=42... x=?

Don't give up. Get help. Cheer yourself on. Practice... practice... practice

And then kick @$$

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I can't believe your school lets you pass with a 75% on your drug calc test...THATS SCARY! My school you have to get 100% you HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO CONVERT OR ELSE YOU COULD KILL SOMEONE! Id focus on getting a 100% on that test, and def get tutoring. You must know how to do this stuff. Good luck. Ps...go down to your office and find out about loans and grants, theres tons of them. Last semester I wrote a 3 sentence essay and recieved a grant of 2,700 $, thats free $ I never have to pay back, so look into it, it may be worth it.

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Practice, practice, practice.....every exam we had in Pharmacology had at least 20 dosage calculation problems...there are some really good books at any bookstore on dosage calculation problems....it might be worth your time and money to invest in one and use it extensively! Our school also allowed the passage with 76% or better - with just 17 questions. The really scary part was that several people failed the test....and then promptly failed their 2nd attempt! That's right - our school allowed 3 attempts to pass. If you couldn't pass, then you failed the class...even if you had a A in the class.

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I can barely do basic math, and if I can pass the math exam, anybody can pass it. 75% is better than my program. We needed to pass it with 100% period plain and simple. We had to get 100% in order to be able to use a calculator. If we didn't master it at 100% then we failed and had to leave the program.

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Specializes in LTC, OB/GYN, Primary Care.

We also had 3 attempts to pass first term dosage calculations. My first thought is find you a good tutor! Is there anyone in your class that really gets the math? Does your school offer tutoring? This is something that will be with you your entire nursing school (and nursing) career. I used to have really bad math anxiety and just always told myself oh I suck at math. Then after I got the nursing math I realized I don't and I was just freaking out over nothing. I had a bad math teacher in high school that I just never understood. Don't let yourself get all worked up about it.

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