Medication Calculations and Nursing Students

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion & Analysis3

Calculation of drug dosages by Nursing Students3

Phases of responsibility4

Solutions5

Recommendations6

Conclusion7

References8

Medication Calculations and Nursing Students

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring some relevant information relating to the analysis of medication calculations by nursing students. The nursing profession is rapidly changing and the role of the nurse in drug delivery and medication calculation has changed considerably in recent years. Nurse is responsible for the correct calculation of diagnostic and therapeutic medication to the patient. Nurse must have in-depth knowledge and updated skills to administer medications with confidence and competence. The nurse should not only be concerned to examine the appropriateness of the choice of treatment, but also must know the implications that the administration of the drug has for the patient. In this way, nurse can give the doctor important information about the clinical condition of the patient. The administration of therapy must therefore represent a final moment after the nurse has complied with the conditions of the patient, found his vital signs and consulted physician if necessary. Nationwide nursing students have difficulty with medication calculations. In this study, the author will investigate how can nursing students develop confidence and competence in administering medications and how can facility promote success.

Discussion & Analysis

Calculation of drug dosages by Nursing Students

The primary area in administrating medication services is the nurse student's ability to calculate drug dosages accurately. In order to predict the calculation skills and ability of nursing students, it is imperative to identify the factor that determines the potential of nursing students. Similarly, it is necessary to screen out those students, at an early stage that lacks the competency and understanding of basic calculation methods (Wright, 2010).

The accurate calculation of drug dosages is necessary for the safe nursing; however nurses, especially students find it difficult to cope with calculation skills. A large number of researches have already been conducted to identify the lack of calculation skills in nursing students. McMullan (2010) has found that most of students that are enrolled in nursing programs do not have the mathematical skills and competency to solve conceptual mathematical cases (McMullan, 2010). Another research has investigated that most of the nursing students face difficulty to achieve even passing grades on a drug calculation or mathematical assessment (Godfrey, 2011).

Phases of responsibility

The nurse's responsibility divided into different phases of medication management includes:

knowledge of the drug

evaluation of the patient

preparation and administration

assessment of the effects

Knowing the drug is to know what is and what are its mechanisms of action and what will be the changes in the parameters or the patient's condition that can take place. In this way nurse student can evaluate the expected effect and refer them to the doctor if necessary. The evaluation of the patient is an important moment in which the nurse student must detect vital signs and observe the person. This moment is composed of two stages: the detection of data and reflecting on them in the light of professional knowledge ...