Question

How will knowing measurements help me in a nursing career?

Answer 1

Ans) Nurses administer medications and each dosage much be customized to the patient. Math formulas are used to determine how much to administer by IV drip, injection or other methods. Nurses use math to make sure the medication amount is appropriate and that patients do not receive too little or too much. A guess or approximation is not good enough when someone's life is on the line.

- Measurement Conversion:

Nurses must be skilled in calculating conversions. Medication doses need to be consistent, whether administered using the metric system, the apothecary system or using home measurements. Nurses must recognize these measurement systems and be able to accurately convert one measurement to another. They do this by knowing conversion tables by memory and by knowing how to calculate a conversion using the least number of steps.

IV Dosage:
Medication or solutions are often administered to patients by intravenous (IV) therapy. Nurses need to know the amount of medication the patient is to receive, the overall time period for administering it and how much medication will be given each hour. They use the information that is known to calculate the rest. Nurses generally calculate the flow rate or drip rate of the IV, determining the exact amount of medication the IV fluid should deliver to the patient during specified intervals.

Mixing Solutions:
Some medications must be prepared by a nurse before being administered. An example is medication that requires being reconstituted. Medication is stored in one strength or consistency, and then has to be reconstituted to a diluted form or liquid suspension. The medicine is called the solute, which is then mixed with a solvent. Nurses must be able to calculate how much to mix of each in order to make the correct strength medication.