Failed dosage calc test and feeling like a failure.

See if you can find someone to tutor you. Sometimes hearing something explained a different way helps it click. And sometimes other students are the best teachers.

Hi. Sorry you are having trouble with dosage calculations. I have taught this subject and really think it is easier to do these problems without formulas. It all boils do to this. You are given one set of units and asked to change them into different units using ratios as your tools. If you go to my topic Master your drug calculations BEFORE you get to nursing school and look under the comments you will see a pdf called dosage calculations. Let me know if I can help.

Brad

As bjwojcik said, it is MUCH easier to do the problems without the formulas. If you learn how to do it without formulas, you don't have to remember what formula for mL/hr, what formula for gtts/min, etc. At my school, they taught us how to do all of them in one day - all the formula methods and dimensional analysis - well, I wouldn't say taught. They showed us, from there we picked which one we liked most and taught ourselves. We too had to take a dosage calculation test at score a 90 or above on it. We had 2 chances. Once I learned dimensional analysis, I never had any issues with any dosage calculation problem. You just need to learn to set it up so you can go from the given set of units to the units you need. What's nice about dimensional analysis is that you can follow it along the path to go from what is given to what you need and you know you did it right because you can follow that path, cancelling out what you don't need. I highly recommend going to bjwojcik's topic and reading it. It should be VERY helpful! If you need any help or resources you can PM me. I have a lot of resources that I used when I was learning.

Like KR said, I remember sitting in my high school chemistry class when I learned dimensional analysis. It took 10 minutes to learn it and it applies to so many calculations. Those of us who use this method see all these calculations as being very simple and feel like we have to get the word out.

I learned to do dosage calculations with dimensional analysis but the way they taught me was so confusing. It wasnt until a friend helped me out. I set up the problem with what I was looking for first (mls/hr, etc). Then I put the info from the problem with mls on top and worked the problem from there. It was like a light bulb moment went off for me and my last semester I aced the dosage calc test with 100 on the first try! You just have to find a way that makes sense to you and then practice, practice, practice.

I had to take the dosage math test twice because I failed the first time. Unfortunately, the policy was to not show you what you missed on the first test, so it was a mystery as to what I missed. I got a book on dosage calculations and lived with it for a while to make sure I wouldn't miss anything again.

I also...I mean I had a "friend" who might have failed physiology and had to check out of the program for a year. Somehow I'm a nurse today. Wait out your year, study hard and you'll be fine.

If you want to be a nurse, you'll eat, live and breathe dosage calculations. Try taking an online course while waiting to class up again.

I did! The only reason I didn't end up in the same situation as you is we had 3 attempts to get a 90. My advice to you is take a deep breath, and find a way to be productive while you wait to retake the class. I took a job as a CNA at a very understaffed nursing home. It was a rigorous and a humbling experience that really lit a fire under my butt to finish school. Now I've been a psych nurse for 3 years and am almost 1/3rd into my NP degree :)

You can do it! Don't give up!

I had to drop out at the very end of my 1st semester due to life circumstances. It sucked. I grieved. Got over it and studied my butt off for 9 months til I restarted the program the following Fall (while continuing to work as a patient care tech.) Then I was ahead of the game. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

I failed my nursing dosage exam that we need a 90 and above to pass. I got an 80 on both attempts. The first time, I messed up the formula and the second time, I didnt read that we needed to round all answers to the tenth. I received an F in the course without even starting it and will have to wait till the fall to retake the class and continue in the program.

Ive lost all motivation, and cant seem to get out of this depression. I just feel like my life keeps staying the same and when I finally was doing something I love, I failed. I feel like I will never get to be a CRNA with this failure over my head. I dont even know how im going to make it till the fall or even find the motivation.

Did anyone else fail and now is living their dream as an RN?

One of the scariest things for me to get through was my math in Jr. High and High School when I was younger. I learned why that was and dealt with it, but even after I did that, by the time I hit Nursing school I knew it would be a challenge again for me.

I enrolled in some Elementary Algebra and Basic Math in college on the side. I practiced the problems at home and in my spare time. I was determined I was going to master it.

Even on my Army Reserve weekends, I took my math book and notebook with me so I could do the problems in my down time. I went through A LOT of paper. (Of course, now there's a bunch of free math courses on line.)

But, by the time it was time for me to do my Nursing drug calculations, I breezed through! You can too!!

Just step back for minute and understand the mistakes, learn from them, and move forward. That's part of maturing and sometimes those lessons can be painful. Still, you are valued and smart!! You can do this!!!!

Stop telling yourself that you are a "failure." You have only had a minor setback.

Life is for living, pick yourself off, brush yourself off. Get back up... if you get back up, THAT IS THE VICTORY!

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Try taking a dosage class while you wait to get back into the program to get a head start.

Dosage has always been my weakness and I have had to retake a couple of times. I also got a cause for concern because I was that bad. The trick is to find out what the question is asking. For example, if they want mg/kg then your final answer should be mg/kg.

Our school requires a 90 first attempt 95 second attempt and 100 third attempt....i made a 90 on this semesters exam. Eeek those dosage tests are stressful. But...we have had several at least 8 people drop out in our second semester. We started with 40 and now are down to about 27...sowith all that said study your but off do math every day for 15 minutes mark it off on your calendar you will ace it when you come back...we have had a lot of people restart the program and graduate it is possible dont give up