Pharm help please...

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2007

i'm trying to do my pharm calculations and i've come across three that i'm not sure of. i'm not sure of the meaning of ss or m. the three problems are read:
gr ss = ________mg
and
oz vii ss = _______dram
and
0.5 ml = _________m
thank you to anyone who can help me with these!!
kendra

well an ss is 1/2 so gr ss is 1/2 grain which = 30mg (1/4grain =15mg, 1/2grain=30mg, 3/4grain=45mg and 1 grain=60mg)

the oz vii ss is 7 1/2 ounces..then convert to drams (don't remember the converstion..sorry)

and the 0.5ml to m??? have no idea what m could be except meters and you can't go from ml (a liquid measurement) to meters (distance)...are you sure it says "m"?? or is it microliter? if thats the case then 0.5ml=500µl (its the weird looking u with the l

Owensfamily · Sep 13, 2007

Thanks for the help!! I've got the conversions, it just didn't include what the ss was. I was thinking that the m was also meters, but it wasn't included on the chart either.

You really helped me out though! Thanks!

Reno1978, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2007

ss is an abbreviation for 1/2. 1 grain is equal to 60mg, so gr ss is equal to 30mg.

For volume, there are minim (m), dram (dr), and ounce (oz).

oz vii ss is asking for 7 1/2 ounces to be converted to dram. There are 8 dram in an ounce, so oz vii ss = 60 dram.

One minim (m) is equivalent to 0.06 mL (rounded to nearest hundredth), so 0.5mL would be 8.3 minim.

Owensfamily · Sep 13, 2007

ss is an abbreviation for 1/2. 1 grain is equal to 60mg, so gr ss is equal to 30mg.
For volume, there are minim (m), dram (dr), and ounce (oz).
oz vii ss is asking for 7 1/2 ounces to be converted to dram. There are 8 dram in an ounce, so oz vii ss = 60 dram.
One minim (m) is equivalent to 0.06 mL (rounded to nearest hundredth), so 0.5mL would be 8.3 minim.

Thanks for your help! I really needed that minim abbreviation. I'm adding these abbreviations to my notes as well so I will remember them.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2007

if you have a copy of taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary you will find a listing of symbols used in medicine and nursing in the appendix at the back of the book. there is a table of contents to the appendices. this listing is under "symbols" and you will find all the symbols and abbreviations you asked about in your post in this list.

if you don't have a copy of taber's, check to see what is in the appendix of the pharmacology, medical dictionary, nursing and medical books you already have. part of your school experience is learning to utilize references. while allnurses is a great place, you are going to find that you probably have some of the information you need already in front of you and just didn't know it.

Owensfamily · Sep 13, 2007

if you have a copy of taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary you will find a listing of symbols used in medicine and nursing in the appendix at the back of the book. there is a table of contents to the appendices. this listing is under "symbols" and you will find all the symbols and abbreviations you asked about in your post in this list.
if you don't have a copy of taber's, check to see what is in the appendix of the pharmacology, medical dictionary, nursing and medical books you already have. part of your school experience is learning to utilize references. while allnurses is a great place, you are going to find that you probably have some of the information you need already in front of you and just didn't know it.

you're right! it was right there in front of me and i didn't know it. :uhoh3: i have the dictionary but i didn't know that the abbreviations were in taber's. thank you for pointing me in the right direction!