med math help!

Ella26, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2013

I am just about to go into level two and failing dosage calc. ( doing fine in everything else) I'm so discouraged right now and feel like giving up. Any recommendations for some good online help?

What exactly are you struggling with? Please tell us so we can better assist you. I always thought math would actually keep me from becoming a nurse and it almost did. I went from not even remembering how to do a fraction when I started the program to getting 97% in the dosage calculation class. I did it through lots of practice! Practicing dosage calcualtion questions. When I struggled and wasnt "getting it", I went out to Barnes and Noble to get a interactive computer dosage calculation practice kit. It went through pediatric dosages, IV stuff, basic oral med prep. Again I practiced questions until I nailed it with 99% accuracy. And I ended up gettiing an A. For our dosage calc test we had 30 questions and you had to get 90% correct with a calulator for my LPN-RN program. And for my LPN program it was 15 questions and you could only miss like 3 questions with out a calculator.

Math is definitely important as a nurse, it is a skill that needs to be mastered because your are dealing with lives. So in this case Practice makes almost perfect.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2013

DosageHelp.com - Helping Nursing Students Learn Dosage Calculations OR http://www.davesems.com/files/drug_dose_calculations.pdf (dimensional analysis)

HeatherMax · Apr 17, 2013

Google PTCB math help, tons of youtube videos step by step. Lot's of great information out there! You could also google pharmacy tech study guide, great site with lots of tutorials, and practice questions.

eyesopen_mouthshut, CNA · Apr 18, 2013

I would rec khan academy, it's an online website, and freeeeeee. I wouldn't have passed Orgo Chem I and II without it, and I think they have a section for medical students (nurses included)

Red35 · Apr 19, 2013

Ella26:

Can you tell us what the name of the dosage calculation practice kit is?

I'm in a RN program and we had a surprise dosage test and I bombed it....I have two more chances if I don't pass I'm out of the program ....at my school we haven't been taught math...they expect us to learn it ourselves....

nursekmck · Apr 20, 2013

Hi, I would ask your instructor for the formulas and memorize them...

There aren't too many and if you can remember them you'll be fine.

Good luck!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

RLtinker, LPN · Apr 20, 2013

We don't have a separate math class either. Basically we were given a book and told go learn this. But dosage cal is part of every test we take in NS. Additionally we are given two dosage cal test that we must pass (test one 80% was passing, and test 2 90% was passing) to continue on with the program. But we could use a calculator.

As to the OP. All I can say is search for as many dosage cal questions as you can and practice. The more problems you work out, the better you will get at it. And if you are stuck and don't know how to do the problem just ask?

jddm163 · Jun 2, 2013

dosagehelp.com worked for me...

HalalRN · Jun 4, 2015

Can anyone please help me understand this problem, I keep getting a diff answer from others in my class

the order reads: add 5,000 units heparin to 1 liter of normal saline solution. The medication is available in a 10 ml vial in a concentration of 20,000 units per ml

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 4, 2015

How are you setting up the problem?

bathrobemom, LPN · Jun 4, 2015

DosageHelp.com - Helping Nursing Students Learn Dosage Calculations

I used that site before every exam to study.

If you get the problem set up correctly - all the units cancel out - then you just have to do the math correctly. It also helps you weed out numbers that the instructors put in to trip you up.

Always start with what is ordered, then put what is asked for at the end. Then plug in what you think you need to solve the problem. All of the units should cancel out. If they don't - you didn't set it up correctly.

DosageHelp will show you how they got the answer, I think it's a little different from how I learned (I think).

As someone else said - practice, practice, practice! I'm not very good at math, but I always did well on my exams because I practiced for hours before all of them.