Medication Calculations and IV Foundations

This unit develops foundational medication calculation skills and introduces safe parenteral and IV practices needed for nursing care. Students will expand on basic math and measurement concepts to compute accurate doses, prepare injectable medications, and recognize safety considerations that support subsequent advanced IV therapy and transfusion topics.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and calculate oral and liquid medication dosages (pill counts, bundled dispensing, average dosing) using metric and household conversions and decimal arithmetic to produce accurate administration plans.
• Apply concentration and solution principles to compute doses from concentrates, ampoules, and vials, converting units and determining correct volumes for PO, IM, SQ, and IV administrations.
• Demonstrate safe parenteral and IV foundational skills including cleaning injection sites, drawing medication from ampoules and vials, preparing and managing peripheral cannulae, and troubleshooting common cannula problems.
• Evaluate prescriptions and patient data (including patient information leaflets, signs of deterioration, morphine usage, and blood transfusion prerequisites) to verify orders, identify contraindications, and ensure medication safety.