Medication AdministrationUniversity of Miami School of Nursing

Administering Medications• Medications are given to patients who are

hospitalized.• As you master the necessary skills, your clinical

instructor will work with you in giving medications.

Learning to Administer Medication

• You will be learning the techniques and skills needed to:• Correctly calculate medication dosages• Administer medications through different “routes” such as by mouth, injection, or inhalation

Six Rights of Medication Administration

• Right Medication• Right Route• Right Time• Right Client• Right Dosage• Right Documentation

Medication Calculations

• Medications can be ordered by a Physician, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician’s Assistant • As a nursing

student, you will learn how to calculate the correct dosage

Rules of Medication Calculations

• What do you have?

Regular Insulin – 100 units/ml

• What do you need?

Regular Insulin 10 units

More Examples

• What do you have? • What do you need?

Mycostatin 500,000 units

Examples

• What do you have?• Ticar 250 mg IM

• What do you need?

Examples

• What do you have? • What do you need?

Lanoxin 0.25 mg

How to Prepare for Nursing Math

Assignment Prior to Starting Classes• Purchase Calculating with Confidence, 5th Edition

by Deborah Morris, RH

Calculating with Confidence Assignment

Units 1 – 4 (Chapters 1 – 20)

• Review Unit 1• Master Units 2, 3, & 4

Basic Math Review1. Roman Numerals2. Fractions3. Decimals4. Ratio and Proportion5. Percentages

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentReview Unit 1

Assignment for Unit 1Take Pre TestReview Areas that you had difficultyTake Post Test

• Unit 2:•Systems of Measurement

• Unit 3:•Methods of Administration and Calculations

• Unit 4:•Oral and Parental Dosage Forms and Insulin

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentMaster Units 2, 3, & 4

Assignment for Units 2, 3, & 4Read materialPractice Examples until comfortable with conceptsComplete Practice Examples and Chapter Review

• Do I have to do every single question?•No. You are responsible for understanding the material and able to correctly calculate medication dosages.

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentCommon Q&A

• How much time do I need to have to complete the assignment?•A lot depends on your knowledge of basic math skills. For some of you, this assignment will be easy and you will only spend several hours. For those of you who math has always been a challenge, you made need to devote 2 or 3 hours a week for more than a month.

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentCommon Q&A

• Do I have to turn in my work?•No. You are responsible for the material.

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentCommon Q&A

• Can I use a calculator?•Yes. You will need to have a simple calculator that does not graph, able to store material, or have functions that complete conversions. Some calculators now are so powerful that your professor would not allow a student to use it, so don’t go out and buy an expensive calculator.

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentCommon Q&A

• Can I use the calculator on my phone during tests?•No. You will need to have a simple calculator that is only a calculator.

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentCommon Q&A

• Do I have to memorize every conversion listed in the book?•You are responsible to know the conversions given in the book.

Calculating with Confidence AssignmentCommon Q&A