Get Every Dose Calc Question Right (IN 6 EASY STEPS!)

There's a lot of different ways to learn dose calc and honestly, most of them are just not helpful. So in this video, I'm going to teach you how to get every dose calc question right with my simple six step process so you can confidently pass your dosage calc exam in nursing school. Let's dive in. Dose calc is a huge deal in nursing school. It's also called med math or dosage calculations. But whatever you call it, you'll have these math questions on pretty much every exam that you take in nursing school. But even more than that, you'll also have a full dose calc exam that you must pass in order to stay in your program. So it's a really big deal. That's why I want to give you my simple step by step process for you to follow so you can make sure that you get every med math question right on your exam. Now, before we go any further, I need you to agree with me on something. We need to agree that we do not memorize any formulas. Because here's the deal my friend. Trying to memorize random formulas may work for super basic dose calc problems, but it will fail you as you try to solve more complex problems like Heparin calculations, pitocin calculations and where you have to use multiple conversion factors to get the right answer. It will lead you down a spiral of second guessing yourself and getting confused about which formula to use and when. The last thing you want to have happen is to get to your exam, have a bunch of random formulas memorized and then realize that they don't work. Work with the question the dose calc exam is asking you for or that you don't know which one to use to get the right answer. Don't do that to yourself. That's exactly why I created my dose calc framework. It's a simple six step process where you can just plug in the numbers where they belong and get the right answer. There's no need to memorize a bunch of formulas and get confused about it. Just follow the steps and you will be golden. This is 1000 times easier and it works every time no matter what what problem you are trying to solve. So let's dive in and go through our simple six step process so you'll be ready to solve any dose cough problem that comes your way. Now we'll go through the steps here so you really understand this process and then I'll give you practice problems so that you can apply it and put it all together. So stick around. We will walk through Those as well. And of course, if you're a nursing SS member, you have access to the full step by step dose calc course, which includes tons of workbooks for you to go through too if you need. So be sure to check that out if you need it. So the first step is to look at the problem and figure out what unit you need to end up with at the end. What is the question asking you for? So step number one is to always read the question, figure out what you need to ultimately end up with at the end and solve for. Start with the end in mind. What unit do you need to end up with at the end? Are they asking you for a number of tablets or milligrams or drops per minute for an iv? Whatever the unit the dose calc question wants you to solve for, you'll write this unit on the right hand side of your paper under need. Now step number two is to look at the problem again and see what the original order says. What was the doctor or the prescriber's order? Reread the question again and look at what the order says and write that on the left hand side of your paper under order. Now onto step number three. We need to get from what is ordered on the left hand side over to what we need on the right hand side. How are we going to do that? This is where your conversion factors come into play. And this is step number three. What conversions do you need to use to solve the problem? This is where this process really shines and makes all the difference. So stick with me. The trick is that the units need to cross themselves out. We need to eliminate them. And we do this by using conversion factors to cancel out those units. The unit that we want to end up with at the end must be on top of our railroad track here. All other units need to cancel themselves out. So if we have one unit at the top and another unit on the bottom, those will cancel themselves out. And what you'll be left with at the end is only the unit that you need. The one the question is asking you for. It makes it so easy. Here's a couple of tips to help with this. The first is to look at the original problem and see if they give you any conversion factors. First, go back through, reread the question. If they give you any conversions, write them in the middle of the paper. The second tip is remember your basic conversions. Milliliters to liters, milligrams to grams, and so on. Now I have a free cheat sheet for you with all of them listed so I'll put a link to that in the description below for you to check out. So make sure that you snag that after you watch this video. Your nursing school exams probably won't give you the dose calc conversions. This is something they expect you to have memorized. So download that free cheat sheet and it will make it so much easier for you. Now from here, keep checking in with what you have ordered and what you need to end up with at the end to see what units you can cross out and get the right answer. And remember, we are just going through the steps here, but I do have a lot of practice problems for you too, so stay tuned. I am not going to leave you hanging on this. Don't worry, it's all going to come together for you at the end. I promise. Now when you write a unit on both the top and the bottom, they will cancel each other out. Don't be afraid to play around with the conversion factors. If you need to. Think of it as sort of a puzzle trying out a con, seeing if it works and then erase it if it doesn't, that's fine. So sometimes you just need to use a good old fashioned trial and error process if you are not sure what conversion factors to use. So don't be afraid to try different ones to see what works. And now that we have all of our conversion factors in place, they look good and we ended up with the right units on the top and the bottom. Now we move on to step number four. We multiply it. So step number four is to multiply straight across the top, then multiply straight across the bott. Divide those two numbers and remember, do not round until the very end. And step number five is use the correct rounding rules or rules for zeros. Let's go through the three main rounding rules here quickly. You should never include trailing zeros, only leading zeros. So let's say Your answer is 0.5. It's too easy for that decimal point to get lost and for someone to think it's 5 or even 50. Instead you should write it as 0.5. That way everyone knows where that decimal is. If you need to round, here's the rule. If the number is five or greater, round up. If it's four or lower, round down. And always make sure to round at the very end. In step number five. Do not round when you're plugging in your conversion factors or when you're multiplying or you will get the wrong answer. All right, onto the last step. Step number six. This is Honestly, the most important step to double check math. Rework the problem again to make sure you got it correct. Okay? Dosage calculations are really important to get right. We're talking about medications and someone's life in our hands, right? So it's always important to double check yourself and to make sure that you got the correct answer. I cannot even tell you how many times I misread a dose calc exam question and caught myself when I double checked it. Praise the Lord. So this is a really important step, so don't skip it. Now, I have a bunch of practice problems for you for various types of dose calc questions, right? I'm going to link them down below in the description for you to check out, including this video that walks you through how to calculate IV drip rates. And I'd love to know if you have a full dose calc exam in your nursing program or if they just break it up and include dose calc questions on all of your exams. Or. Or maybe it's a mix of both. Let me know in the comments how your program does it. And go become the nurse that God created only you to be and I will see you over there in that next video.