Medicine administration question

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I hope this is not a completely ignorant question, but do nursed actually calculate the type and/or amount of medication to give a patient? I thought the medicine was already pre-measured and the nurses just administered it. Do the doctors have all of this stuff figured out beforehand? I am not in nursing school yet, so please do not laugh...:p

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

YES we do do calculations and the like ourselves, particularly when the doses stocked in pharmacy are not right/accurate or we dont' have pharmacy staff at night. So yes, you need to be up on your math and KNOW HOW to calculate proper med doses. Plus, just because pharmacy does this, does not mean they are faultless and without error. In the end, we are responsible for what we give, drug-wise.

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Well, thats a scary thought! Which class do you learn the calculatios in, Pharmacology?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Normal dosages of the various drugs are learned throughout nursing classes. Students will focus on the medications normally ordered for various disease conditions as they are studying and learning the nursing care of patients with those conditions. One of the goals of nursing school is for students to recognize when an order for a particular medication doesn't seem correct. Most nursing schools have students complete pharmacology calculation classes prior to giving any medications to patients. It is basic math that requires a knowledge of basic arithmatic and basic algebra.

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Specializes in Assisted Living Nurse Manager.
Well, thats a scary thought! Which class do you learn the calculatios in, Pharmacology?

Depends on the program. I learned my calculations in my actually nursing classes. In my nursing I class we had to do a calculation quiz and we had to get them all right. We had 3 chances to get it right, if not then we were out of the program. As my instructor put it there is no such thing as an acceptable med error. In nursing you have to know how to calculate your med dosages no if, ands or but's about it:)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

We learned dosages and calculations all through nursing school. We had to pass a dosage/pharm test with 100% in order to graduate. It's that important.

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It should be part of your pharmacology course Selulion, it will also be ongoing throughout the nursing program. I have come across books that are specifically geared for math calculations for nurses. It's not as scary as it seems.

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Thanks for all the great replies! I feel better now!

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