Is this a standard requirement?

featherzRN, MSN · Mar 20, 2016

I agree with the others, 95-100% on a nursing drug calc test is a completely logical requirement, expecially if you get a few tries to get it right. I want to know my nurse is accurate when calculating my drugs and these tests are not that difficult - there are plenty of practice exams and questions on the net to get an idea of what you'll have to do.

UCFAshley · Mar 20, 2016

Knowing how to make conversion and manipulate formulas are math skills you should have BEFORE nursing. So, I imagine it's expected to know how to apply it in a medical setting and be proficient at it...

Kuriin, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

Our program gave us 3 tries to complete it with a 100%. After that, you fail the semester and have to re-try the next semester. Mind you, you don't get refunded for all the classes you signed up for. ;-p If you fail the second semester, you fail completely.

tbird88 · Mar 20, 2016

I suppose I should practice, practice, and practice medication calculations until I am perfect at it. I think I will look for a pharmacology book to start before nursing program. Is this practical and do you have any suggestions as far as a medication calculation book?

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

Our program has this requirement. Honestly, the math is not hard (even if you don't like math; it just requires a ton of practice) and it is a critical function (meaning, you can totally mess up and kill someone) to understand that your dosing is correct.

tbird88 · Mar 20, 2016

Our program has this requirement. Honestly, the math is not hard (even if you don't like math; it just requires a ton of practice) and it is a critical function (meaning, you can totally mess up and kill someone) to understand that your dosing is correct.

Yes, I think as it has been mentioned before an error in a medication calculation can result in injury, sickness or death of a patient. So therefore it is imperative that doses are accurate. And I suppose in the nursing program this would lay the groundwork for error proof pharmacology. It just seems that a margin for no error indefinitely is impossible. May God be with me.â˜º

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 20, 2016

While this might seem "steep" to you, in the clinical setting, that one error could kill your patient.

Exactly.

In real life, you have no room for a med error.

In my program, you had to get a 90 the first half of the program; then a 95 (Peds) then by the last semester (Critical Care) we had to get 100 percent; we had three tries each time.

MERRYWIDOW46 · Mar 20, 2016

Be glad you are attending Nursing School today. Many years ago nurses needed to know the Apothacary, Metric, and American models, including how to convert from one system to another. Medications came in large bottles and the nurse would have to calculate the correct dosage and dispense the proper number of pills or correct amount of solution to administer. One decimal point error could kill someone. Get a nursing drug calculation book, read and practice.

Today I work as an agency nurse. Once a year I must pass a medication test including commonly used drugs, indications, side effects, antidotes, substitutes, nursing measures for those taking the medication, and calculations. If I do not score 90% I do not work. This is a basic foundation of what nurses do and is very important. Death s a final outcome! Good Luck.

tbird88 · Mar 20, 2016

Hi MerryWidow46,

Thank you for the history lesson on medication calculations for nurses in earlier times. I never even thought about that or even appreciated the enormous amount of detail and information the nurse needed to have to calculate proper medication dosages to give to their patients. I am grateful that I will be attending nursing school in this day and age.

Also, I am in great admiration of someone like you with the ability to calculate medication and have the knowledge base of good pharmacology. Thank you for setting an excellent example and paving the way for future nurses such as myself.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2016

It doesn't matter if it is a "standard requirement". You are required to do it in your program so DO IT. If is isn't "required" at a school in North Dakota are you going to quit your school and go to school there based on 1 test? Comparing your requirements is a total waste of time.

tbird88 · Mar 21, 2016

It doesn't matter if it is a "standard requirement". You are required to do it in your program so DO IT. If is isn't "required" at a school in North Dakota are you going to quit your school and go to school there based on 1 test? Comparing your requirements is a total waste of time.

When I think it out it does not make sense to choose a school based on this medication calculation proficiency standard. But if I had a choice I would go to a school with 90% accuracy rate and three opportunities to achieve it. But that is my fear of failure speaking now. I must just do what is required of me.

Kuriin, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2016

I suppose I should practice, practice, and practice medication calculations until I am perfect at it. I think I will look for a pharmacology book to start before nursing program. Is this practical and do you have any suggestions as far as a medication calculation book?

I tutor for med calc, HESI, and NCLEX. There's one formula that I love teaching and a bunch of students have said it's really made things easy:

mcg/min mcg in fluid

mL/hr = total volume

Most of the time you will have to find the mL/hr which will be X. The mcg/min is there because maternity and pediatrics often calls for units/min whereas adults are per hour (not ALWAYS). So to find the hour, you would just multiply by 60. Plug everything in and cross multiply then divide to get mL/hr.

The only time I think this didn't work for me was when we had to find the following information:

Concentration of the Solution

Concentration/Minute

Concentration/Hour

Volume/Min

Volume/Hr

You will find a way though that it is easier than you think. ;] Take your time.