Dosage Calculation

BY: PROF. MIA ANDERSON , PROF. OMAR MUNEE B AND DEAN VINA
OCAMPO
General Strategies to Help with Math
Word Problems
1. Underline all pertinent key words. Figure out what is asked for and the units that it is asked for.
2. Write out all your givens.
3. Identify what formula you will be using.
4. Determine if you have the right units. Convert if needed. Substitute back into the formula.
5. Do all calculations in your paper. This prevents you from having to remember what you just did. This also
allows you to recheck what you could have missed.
6. Run the calculations in your calculator at least twice. Put the calculator down in the table and do not
have it raised. If you got the same answer twice, there is a good change you got it right unless the problem
is the formula that you used.
7. Round as instructed. The put your final answer in.
8. If you are good in English or language, but not doing well in calculations, write out the steps on the right
side of the equation.
CONVERSIONS
Conversion Table OTHER MUST KNOWS
Prefix Symbol Number Power of 10 1 gr = 60 mg
15 gr = 1000mg= 1gram
kilo k 1,000 1 x 103 x 1000
1gr = 60 mg = 0.06g
1 Kg = 2.2 lbs
1Kg = 1000 grams
centi c 0.01 1 x 10-2 1/100 1 inch= 2.54 cm
1 teaspoon = 5mL
1 tablespoon = 15 mL
1 oz= 30 mL
milli m 0.001 1 x 10-3 1/1000
1 cup= 240 mL =8oz
1pt= 16 oz
1/1,000,000 1 qt= 2pt
micro m 0.000001 1 x 10-6 1 g= 1ml
1cc = 1ml
1mg= 1000 mcg
Memorize everything in red! Ice= ml/2
Use of Zeroes in Nursing Dosage
Calculation Exams
❖ALWAYS use LEADING zeroes
❖0.25 no .25
❖NEVER use TRAILING zeroes
❖1.2 not 1.20
❖3 not 3.0
❖Nurses may miss the decimal point and interpret the 3 mg as 30
mg.
❖This puts the client at risk for an overdose.
Abbreviations
NPO= Nothing Per Orem AC= (Before Meals) PRN= as needed NKDA= No Known Drug
(nothing by mouth) Allergy
IV= Intravenous PC= (After Meals) KVO= Keep Vein Open HS= Hours of Sleep (at
TKO= To Keep Open bedtime)
IM= Intramuscular BID=(twice a day) MDI= Metered Dose SQ= Subcutaneous
Inhaler
NG= Nasogastric TID= three times a day ID= Intradermal Meq= milliequivalent
PO= Per Orem QID= four times a day OD= (Right Eye) AD= (Right Ear)
(By Mouth) OS=(Left Eye) AS= (Left Ear)
OU= (Both Eye) AU= (Both Ear)
Military vs. Civilian Time
 Sample Complete Orders
Is this drug a maintenance medication or a PRN medication?
Diltiazem 90 mg PO Once a day
Drug Dose Route Frequency
Is this drug a maintenance medication or a PRN medication?
Morphine 2mg via IV Push PRN every 4-6 hours for severe pain

Drug Dose Route Frequency. Limiting Indication

Time
A nurse is preparing to administer haloperidol (Haldol) 2 mg PO q12h. The amount
available is haloperidol 1 mg/tablet. How many tablets should the nurse administer?
(Round to nearest whole number)
A nurse is preparing to administer furosemide (Lasix) 80 mg PO Daily. The
amount available is furosemide oral solution 40 mg/5 mL. How many mL
should the nurse administer? (Round to the nearest whole number).
The physician orders digoxin (Lanoxin) 250 mcg PO TID.
The medication digoxin is available in 0.25 mg/tablet.
How many tablets should the nurse administer?
The label reads heparin 20,000 units/mL. The order is for heparin 15,000 units q8h SQ.
How many milliliters will the nurse administer? (Round to the nearest tenth).
Solumedrol 1.5 mg/kg is ordered for a client weighing 75.8 lbs. It is available as
125 mg/2ml. How many ml must the nurse administer? Round to the nearest tenths place.
Vancomycin 10 mg/kg every 6 hours. client weight is 100 kgs. It is available as 20 mg/10ml. How many
ml must the nurse administer per dose? Round to the nearest tenths
A nurse is preparing to administer amoxicillin (Amoxil) 20 mg/kg/day PO divided in equal
doses q12h to a preschool child who weighs 44 lbs. The amount available is amoxicillin
suspension 250 mg/5 mL. How many mL should the nurse administer per dose? (Round to
the nearest whole number).
A nurse is preparing to administer phenytoin (Dilantin) 0.2 g PO every 8 hr. The amount available is phenytoin 100
mg/capsule. How many capsules should the nurse administer per dose? (Round to nearest whole number)
The physician orders digoxin (Lanoxin) 250 mcg PO TID. The medication digoxin is available in 0.25
mg/tablet. How many tablets should the nurse administer?
A nurse is preparing to administer ibuprofen (Advil) to a child who has rheumatoid arthritis. The order is for 250 mg
PO q8h. Usual pediatric dose is 20-30 mg/kg/day. Patient weighs 35 lbs. What is the lowest recommended dosage
per day? What is the highest recommended dosage per day? Is the dosage ordered safe to give? (Round to nearest
whole number)
The doctor orders an IV drip for a child that weighs 78 lbs. The safe
dosage range for the ordered medication is 5-10 mcg/kg/min. What is
the safe dosage range for this child?
You are calculating your patient's intake for your 8 hour shift. he has had the following: iv fluids of
0.9% sodium chloride at 100 ml/hr; 3 doses of potassium chloride 10 mEq each mixed in 100 ml bags
of 0.9% sodium chloride; 12 oz of water; 10 oz of milk and 8 oz of coffee. what is the total intake for
this patient?
A nurse is preparing to administer amoxicillin 2 gm/day PO divided into 2
doses. the amount available is amoxicillin 500 mg tablets. how many
tablets should the nurse administer with each dose?
A nurse is caring for a 25 year old client who has pneumonia and a
prescription for cefpodoxime 5 mg/kg PO every 12 hr for 5 days.
the client weighs 110 lb. how many mg should the nurse
administer per dose?
Ordered: Keflex 0.5 g PO stat.
How many capsules will you give? Round to the nearest whole no.
IV Calculations
 Introduction to IV
Hourly rate:
Drop Rate:
How much in ml
Nurses used to literally
was consumed
count how many drops
per hour.
fell in the drip chamber
This IV was per 15 seconds to
running at 100 determine if its falling
ml/hour . at the right drop rate
If I started this IV
at 9am and its
now 11 am,
where should my
IV be at?
I need ml/hour
to compute that.

250 ml- (100mlx2 hours)=

50 ml
Formulas
HOURLY RATE – DRIP RATE/ DROP RATE
the measurement of the volume -No. of drops that fell on the drip
infused over the no. of hours the chamber per minute.
IV is running
-Hourly rate is needed to compute this
= mL = volume infused in mL
-Drop factor: the size of the chamber of your tubing;
hour no. of hours Will always be given on a test
-Choices: 10 gtt/ml, 15 gtt/ml, 20 gtt/ml and 60 gtt/ml

>IfUsual rounding is to the whole number -= (ml/hour) (Drop factor) or (ml) (gtt)
rounding instructions are NOT
- 60 min/hr hour ml
given, round to the nearest whole - 60 min
no. for drop rate. In nursing we do - hour
not do ½ or 1/3 of a drop. It is
Look at how your cancellation works out!!!
always in WHOLE numbers. Your always left with the same units… so just plug it into the formula
and don’t worry about cancelling units. You will still get the correct
answer!!
MD ordered: 2.5 L of 0.9% Na Cl to be given in 16 hours. The
drop factor is 10 gtt/ml. What is the hourly rate. Round to the
nearest whole number.
MD ordered: 2.5 L of 0.9% NaCl to be given in 16 hours. The drop factor is
10 gtt/ml. What is the drop rate. Round to the nearest whole number.
MD ordered 1850 ml of Lactated Ringer to be given in 22 hours. The
Drop factor of the tubing is 15 gtt/ml. What is the hourly rate. Round
to the nearest tenths place. (Do not use a trailing zero)
MD ordered 1.6 L of Dextrose 5% water to be given in 14 hours. The
Drop factor of the tubing is 60 gtt/ml. What is the drop rate. Round
to the nearest whole number.
An IV is infusing with 1000 ml normal saline at 125 ml/hr. The
infusion began at 11:00am on the evening shift. At what time will it
be completed?
MD Order reads: Give amoxicillin 4 g IVPB in 150 ml of normal saline
to infuse in 2 hours. The drop factor is 10 gtt/ ml. How many gtt/min.
Round to the nearest whole number
MD orders. Give IV fluids 1.5L of normal saline to infuse over 16
hours. The drop factor is 20 gtt/1ml. What is the drop rate? Round to
the nearest whole number.
Order: Infuse Heparin at 40 mL/hr.
Supply: heparin 25000 units in 500 mL D5W.
How many units are infusing per hour?
Order: Infuse Bretylol 2mg/min via infusion pump
Supply: Bretylol 1 gm/500 mL D5W
How many mL/hr?
Order: Lidocaine 3 mg/min via infusion pump
Supply: Lidocaine 2 g/500 mL D5W
How many mL / hr ?
Order: Isuprel 5 mcg/min via infusion pump
Supply: Isuprel 2 mg/250 mL D5W
How many mL/hr ?