NCLEX: Drug Dosage Calculation Exam 8

1. You are providing home care for a patient who needs 15 mL of magnesium hydroxide/aluminum hydroxide (Maalox) PO. She has only standard measuring spoons in the house. How do you instruct her to take her dose?

1. 2 Tablespoon
2. 1.5 Tablespoon
3. 1 Tablespoon
4. 2.5 Tablespoon

2. Your order reads penicillin 1.2 million units IM daily. You have penicillin 500,000 units/mL. How should you prepare the correct dose?

1. 0.4 mL
2. 2.4 mL
3. 3 mL
4. 4 mL

3. Your order reads labetalol 40 mg IV push every 10 minutes until blood pressure is lower than 140/90 mm Hg. You have labetalol 5 mg/mL available. How should you prepare the correct dose?

1. 0.1 mL
2. 4 mL
3. 8 mL
4. 8.5 mL

4. You have on hand ergocalciferol liquid 8000 units/2 mL. Your order reads ergocalciferol 225,000 units PO daily. How should you prepare the correct dose?

1. 0.07 mL
2. 14 mL
3. 28 mL
4. 56 mL

5. Your order reads ergocalciferol 225,000 units PO daily. You have on hand ergocalciferol in 50,000 unit tablets. How many do you administer?

1. 4.5 tablets
2. 3.5 tablets
3. 2 tablets
4. 0.5 tablet

6. Your order reads cortisone 15 mg PO every morning. You have on hand cortisone 10 mg tablets. How should you prepare the correct dose?

1. 3 tablets
2. 2 tablets
3. 1.5 tablets
4. 1 tablet

7. Your order reads ceftizoxime 1 g IV piggyback every 8 hours. The pharmacy supplies it in 100 mL D5W. You need to infuse it over 30 minutes. With a drop factor of 10, what drip rate will you set?

1. 12 gtts/min
2. 15 gtts/min
3. 30 gtts/min
4. 33 gtts/min

8. Your order reads Zosyn 4.5 g in 100 mL D5W IV over 1 hour. You have microdrip tubing. What drip rate will you set?

1. 100 gtts/min
2. 60 gtts/min
3. 28 gtts/min
4. 8 gtts/min

9. Your order reads levothyroxine 100 mg PO every morning. You have levothyroxine 0.05 mg tablets. How many tablets should you administer?

1. 5 tablets
2. 3 tablets
3. 2 tablets
4. 1.5 tablets

10. You have on hand morphine 500 mg in 500 mL normal saline. You need to administer morphine 80 mg/hour in a continuous IV infusion to a patient with terminal cancer pain. How many milliliters per hour will you set on the controller?

1. 100 mL/hour
2. 80 mL/hour
3. 50 mL/hour
4. 30 mL/hour

Answers and Rationales

1. Answer: C. 15 mL x (1 tbsp/15 mL)= 1 Tablespoon
2. Answer: B. 1,200,000 units x (1 mL/ 500,000 units)= 2.4 mL
3. Answer: 4 mg x (1 mL/5 mg)= C. 8 mL
4. Answer: D. 225,000 units x (2 mL/ 8,000 units)= 56 mL
5. Answer: A. 225,000 units x (1 tablet/50,000 units)= 4.5 tablets
6. Answer: C. 15 mg x (1 tablet/ 10 mg)= 1.5 tablets
7. Answer: D. (100 mL/30 mins) x (10 gtts/mL)= 33 gtts/min
8. Answer: A. (100 mL/1 hr) x (1 hr/ 60 mins) x (60 gtts/ 1 mL)= 100 gtts/min
9. Answer: C. 100 mcg x (1 mg/1,000 mcg) x (1 tablet/0.05 mg)= 2 tablets
10. Answer: B. (80 mg/hour) x (500 mL/ 500 mg)= 80 mL/hour