See what you can expect from our sample questions and explanations, and try one from our Clinical Med Math QBank. Once you submit your answer, two calculation methods will be displayed.
The nurse verifies the dose of IM ketorolac prepared by a coworker. How many milligrams of ketorolac are in the syringe in this dose (mg/dose)? Click the exhibit button for additional information. Record your answer using a whole number.
Correct Answer: 60 mg/dose
Using dimensional analysis, perform the following steps to calculate the dose of ketorolac in milligrams:
Identify the prepared, available, and required medication information
Prepared: 2 mL ketorolac / dose Available: 30 mg ketorolac / mL Required: mg ketorolac / dose
Convert the prepared volume to the dose of ketorolac in milligrams
Prepared volume × available medication = mg ketorolac / dose
OR
( mL ketorolac / dose ) ( mg ketorolac / mL ) = mg ketorolac / dose
OR
( 2 mL ketorolac / dose ) ( 30 mg ketorolac / mL ) = 60 mg ketorolac / dose
Educational objective:
To calculate the prepared dose of ketorolac, the nurse should first identify the prepared volume (eg, 2 mL/dose) and available medication (eg, 30 mg/mL) and then convert the dose to milligrams (eg, 60 mg/dose).
The formula method is an alternate way to calculate medication dosages. However, this method may increase the occurrence of miscalculation and medication errors. If you choose to use this method, do not round any calculations until the final step.
Using the formula method, perform the following step to calculate the dose of ketorolac in milligrams:
Convert the prepared volume to the dose of ketorolac in milligrams
Prepared volume / available volume x available dose = mg ketorolac / dose
OR
2 mL ketorolac / mL x 30 mg ketorolac = 60 mg ketorolac / dose
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