On this page:
“The vast majority of calculations are likely to be relatively straightforward, and you will probably need to perform complex calculations only infrequently.
This page has some guidance specifically for Nursing students to help with basic maths and drug calculations
Maths for healthcare professionals
You can download this comprehensive document specifically looking at Maths for Healthcare Professionals.
The guide covers:
- Fractions
- Decimals
- Ratio
- Percentages
- BMI
- Averages
- Unit Conversion
- Dosage Calculations
Click on the link above or the image to download the PDF.
Dosage calculation videos
Video 1
An example of a dosage calculation where the units involved are the same.
Slides from the video can be download here: Dosage Calculations 1 PowerPoint
Video 2
A second standard example.
Slides from the video can be download here: Dosage Calculations 2 PowerPoint
Video 3
An example where the units are different (g/mg) and need to be unified.
Slides from the video can be download here: Dosage Calculations 3 PowerPoint
Video 4
A second example where the dosage units need to be unified.
Slides from the video can be download here: Dosage Calculations 4 PowerPoint
Video 5
A first example where the patient is to be given medication in tablet form.
Slides from the video can be download here: Dosage Calculations 5 PowerPoint
Video 6
A second example for a prescription in tablet form.
Slides from the video can be download here: Dosage Calculations 6 PowerPoint
Books and eBooks from our collection
Calculation Skills for Nurses by
Providing nursing students with words of wisdom and advice from real-life student nurses, Calculation Skills for Nurses enables you to calculate drug dosages with ease, boosting your confidence and competence in this core area of nursing practice. The book takes away the fear of calculations, making it approachable, easy and fun, and ties in with the NMC standards for pre-registration education and the Essential Skills Clusters. It is filled with examples and questions based on real life nursing and healthcare situations and includes key information displayed on the inside back cover for quick look-up on clinical placements.
ISBN: 9781118448892Publication Date: 2013-05-06
Drug Calculations for Nurses (print book) by
As nurses gain greater responsibility and nurse practitioners become a larger group the pressure on nurses to prescribe accurately and independently increases. At the same time the general view among lecturers is that students of medicine as well as of nursing are arriving at university with increasingly poor basic maths skills, and this is also said to apply to pharmacy students. Students need a practical course textbook that will take them through into the start of their clinical work as a companion to drug prescribing, preparation and delivery. This is the second edition of this pocket-sized introductory guide to performing drug calculations accurately and confidently. Compiled by a pharmacist and a nurse, the book combines the essential theory of pharmacology with the implications for professional practice. It moves from explanations of the simple through to complex formulae relating to the many drugs used today, and includes worked examples plus problems for self-assessment. Unlike many of its competitors, it includes intravenous administration of drugs. New for the second edition: * moves away from hospital bias to include more community issues e.g patient controlled analgesia, and examples; 'how to use this book' completely rewritten * includes more examples of problems and presents the answers separately so they can be used for self-assessment * greatly improved presentation, including 2-colour text design
ISBN: 9780340810286Publication Date: 2003-08-29
Numeracy and Clinical Calculations for Nurses (eBook) by
A working grasp of numeracy and basic mathematical skills is vital in modern nursing. Many student nurses have only a limited knowledge of the subject and struggle to get to get to grips with the key principles and calculations they need to know. Numeracy and Clinical Calculations for Nurses is a user-friendly introduction to the subject which guides the reader from the basics through to the core calculations required in a healthcare setting. Using extensive worked examples the author links the abstract mathematics to real-world situations to help the reader understand the subject in the context of their nursing practice. Rather than simply training by rote, the book features 'Sense Checks', 'Top Tips' and 'Error Alerts' to encourage the reader to develop their overall numeracy skills, and thus minimize the possibility of future errors.
ISBN: 9781908625243Publication Date: 2015-06-29
Nursing Calculations by
This best-selling book enables nursing students to calculate drug doses accurately and quickly. It begins with a diagnostic test to pinpoint any weaknesses in basic arithmetic and is followed by specific exercises to remedy them. Examples are drawn from everyday clinical practice with graded exercises and answers. The content covers administering injections, tablets and mixtures intravenous infusions administering safe dosages to children. Nursing Calculations is an essential aid to safe clinical practice for student nurses and those returning to the profession. A diagnostic test at the start allows readers to review their knowledge of maths and identify their weak points Numerous exercises give plenty of practice in making drug calculations Answers to questions aid self-study Revision and summary exercises ensure that the reader fully understands the calculations The nursing context and use of actual drug labels allows the application of theory to everyday practice All medications reviewed and updated in accordance with current practice Revised layout to avoid crowded pages A portable laminated card placed inside the back cover with the key formulae that students need to remember Additional exercises, labels and paediatric examples Additional set of syringe diagrams A new table of abbreviations and their meanings and explanation of the 24-hour clock Addition of handwritten prescriptions to the medication label exercises to improve links to real-life practice
ISBN: 9780702048913Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Links to some external resources
- Dosage calculations tutorial - from Dosagehelp.com This website provides a dosage calculations tutorial, complete with explanations and examples, to help nursing students prepare for a medication exam.
- Drug calculations - Medicines Management Assessment - example paper and drug cupboard If you are shortlisted for a nursing role, you will be asked to take a medicines management assessment as part of the interview process. Human Resources will contact you with the date and time. To help you prepare, you can download an example test paper and drug cupboard. (These are 'pdf' documents - most computers will open them automatically when you click on the link. Otherwise, you'll need to install Adobe Acrobat). The prescriptions on the real assessment will vary, but the format will be the same.
- Drug dosage example questions - from USA but still good practice Practice drug dosage calculations for the NCLEX or any nursing exam with this 20-item questionnaire. In the actual NCLEX, these type of dosage calculations are usually formatted as a fill-in the blank question type. In this quiz, we’ll present them as the usual multiple choice format, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy! Let’s put your mathematical skills to the test! Get your calculators and thinking hats ready!
- How to calculate drug doses and infusion rates accurately - from the Nursing Times Miscalculating doses is a common source of drug errors. This article explains how to calculate drug doses and highlights common errors. After reading it, you can undertake the Nursing Times learning unit Drug Calculations in Practice, which includes clinical scenarios to test your knowledge
