I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Medication Calculations for Health Care Careers
2. Course Prefix & Number:
PNUR 1140
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 1
Lecture Hours: 1
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course is to introduce students to medical dosage calculations and the terminology associated with medication orders. Theory, skill, and terminology related to calculating medication dosages will be the focus of this course. Students will learn how to perform conversions between measurement systems. Students will review basic mathematical concepts related to medication administration.
5. Placement Tests Required:
Accuplacer (specify test): |
Arithmetic |
Score: |
65 |
Other (specify test): |
Elementary Algebra |
Score: |
52
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
PNUR 1140 - Medication Calculations for Health Care Careers
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
PNUR 1140 - Medication Calculations for Health Care Careers
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Name of Institution |
Course Number and Title |
Credits |
Pine Technical College |
HEOP Medical Dosage |
1 |
III. Course Purpose
Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):
Practical Nursing, Diploma
Medical Assistant, AAS
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
Solve equations related to medication dosages. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
Expected Outcome |
MnTC Goal Area |
Explain medication safety measures related to dosage calculation |
|
Discuss medication errors and prevention methods with dosage calculations |
|
Identify the 7 rights to medication administration |
|
Identify medication terms related to dosage calculation |
|
Correctly recognize components to a medication label |
|
Solve mathematical problems converting decimals, percentages, and fractions |
|
Solve equations related to medication dosages |
|
Identify apothecary, metric, and household systems of measurement |
|
Convert dosages from one measurement system to another |
|
Interpret medication orders |
|
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Unit One: Arithmetic Review
- Arabic Numbers and Roman Numeral
- Fractions
- Add and subtract fractions
- Multiply and divide fractions
- Improper fractions and Mixed Numbers
- Reducing to the lowest fractional term
- Decimals
- Rounding
- Add and subtract decimals
- Multiply and divide fractions
- Converting fractions to decimals
- Decimals
- Calculate percentages
- Unit Two: Measurement Systems, Drug orders and Labels
- Systems of measurements
- Metric System
- Apothecaries’ System
- Household System
- Common Equivalents and Converting between systems of measurements
- Temperature measurements Celsius and Fahrenheit, and converting between
- Military time
- Interpretations of medication orders
- Identifying and interpreting drug label information
- Generic and trade drug names
- Dosage and measurement
- Route/method fo administration
- Directions for storage and preparing the druge
- Checking expiration dates
- Unit Three: Solving Basic Dosage Calculations
- Using Dimensional Analysis
- One Factor Medication Problems
- Principles of rounding
- Dosage calculations based on route of administration; oral and parental
- Two Factor Medication Problems
- Medication Problems Involving weight
- Medication Problems involving reconstitution of powders and solutions
- Unit Four: Safety practices with medication dosage calculation
- 7 rights to medication administration
- Correct patient identifiers for administrating medication
- Discuss medication errors related to medication dosage calculation, and prevention methods
- Documentation procedures for medication administration on a record
I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Medication Calculations for Health Care Careers
2. Course Prefix & Number:
PNUR 1140
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 1
Lecture Hours: 1
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course is to introduce students to medical dosage calculations and the terminology associated with medication orders. Theory, skill, and terminology related to calculating medication dosages will be the focus of this course. Students will learn how to perform conversions between measurement systems. Students will review basic mathematical concepts related to medication administration.
5. Placement Tests Required:
Accuplacer (specify test): |
Arithmetic |
Score: |
65 |
Other (specify test): |
Elementary Algebra |
Score: |
52
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
PNUR 1140 - Medication Calculations for Health Care Careers
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
PNUR 1140 - Medication Calculations for Health Care Careers
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Name of Institution |
Course Number and Title |
Credits |
Pine Technical College |
HEOP Medical Dosage |
1 |
III. Course Purpose
1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):
Practical Nursing, Diploma
Medical Assistant, AAS
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations |
Solve equations related to medication dosages. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
Expected Outcome |
MnTC Goal Area |
Explain medication safety measures related to dosage calculation |
|
Discuss medication errors and prevention methods with dosage calculations |
|
Identify the 7 rights to medication administration |
|
Identify medication terms related to dosage calculation |
|
Correctly recognize components to a medication label |
|
Solve mathematical problems converting decimals, percentages, and fractions |
|
Solve equations related to medication dosages |
|
Identify apothecary, metric, and household systems of measurement |
|
Convert dosages from one measurement system to another |
|
Interpret medication orders |
|
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Unit One: Arithmetic Review
- Arabic Numbers and Roman Numeral
- Fractions
- Add and subtract fractions
- Multiply and divide fractions
- Improper fractions and Mixed Numbers
- Reducing to the lowest fractional term
- Decimals
- Rounding
- Add and subtract decimals
- Multiply and divide fractions
- Converting fractions to decimals
- Decimals
- Calculate percentages
- Unit Two: Measurement Systems, Drug orders and Labels
- Systems of measurements
- Metric System
- Apothecaries’ System
- Household System
- Common Equivalents and Converting between systems of measurements
- Temperature measurements Celsius and Fahrenheit, and converting between
- Military time
- Interpretations of medication orders
- Identifying and interpreting drug label information
- Generic and trade drug names
- Dosage and measurement
- Route/method fo administration
- Directions for storage and preparing the druge
- Checking expiration dates
- Unit Three: Solving Basic Dosage Calculations
- Using Dimensional Analysis
- One Factor Medication Problems
- Principles of rounding
- Dosage calculations based on route of administration; oral and parental
- Two Factor Medication Problems
- Medication Problems Involving weight
- Medication Problems involving reconstitution of powders and solutions
- Unit Four: Safety practices with medication dosage calculation
- 7 rights to medication administration
- Correct patient identifiers for administrating medication
- Discuss medication errors related to medication dosage calculation, and prevention methods
- Documentation procedures for medication administration on a record