mandaorton Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Okay so as a new medic student, im having trouble grasping the whole drug calculation part.... I was wondering if anyone has any tricks or advise on how to learn to do the calculations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 http://www.cityofsomerset.com/ems/IV%20Dru...alculations.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Okay so as a new medic student, im having trouble grasping the whole drug calculation part.... I was wondering if anyone has any tricks or advise on how to learn to do the calculations Forget the formulas they try to teach you and just revert back to the simple "solving for X" method you learned in College Algebra. It is much more intuitive, results in more precise calculations, and doesn't entail memorising silly new formulas, like most crap paramedic schools try to teach. You DID take College Algebra before attempting paramedic school, didn't you? If not, now you know why you should have. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeEMTP Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Here's one I found in my archives of "Things from Paramedic classes". http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:0ThN1...;cd=3&gl=us The formulas' get you close, but don't you want to be exact? ( I seem to recall Paramedicmike giving me the same advice. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Thanks Mike. 8)). Solving for "X" isn't all the difficult. As a medic who was in your shoes not that long ago, you should strive to know what you're doing. Try not to rely on quick fixes and easy formulas. Understanding the "hows and whys" you came to the appropriate drip rate, correct dosage etc. can be gratifying. It is also paramount in your progression to paramedic. Good luck with your classes. :thumbleft: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 The formulas' get you close, but don't you want to be exact? ( I seem to recall Paramedicmike giving me the same advice. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Thanks Mike. 8)). Solving for "X" isn't all the difficult. Yep. I ran into that problem in nursing school. All the nursing professors taught those silly little formulas. I didn't use the formulas, because they confused me and, well, I don't like formulas. So I would just work out the calculations in my head. Problem is, the answers I would come up with would slightly vary from those who used the formulas. One instructor threatened to fail me from the programme, until I had a math professor prove to her that her formulas were the ones giving incorrect answers, not my calculations. And when you solve for X through simple algebra, you can be more sure of your answer because the process to get it made sense. Nothing about those cross multiplying formulas make sense. They are just rules that someone made up that somehow come close to working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPINFV Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Any good g-chem or basic physics course should introduce its students to dimensional analysis, which is essentially all drug calculations are. http://www.cityofsomerset.com/ems/IV%20Dru...alculations.pdf # 400mg / 250 mL = 1.6 mg ... ANY QUESTIONS? Um, you're missing a unit there buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chbare Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I also agree with the general trend of advice. Medication calculations are nothing more than simple linear algebra. Make an equation, cross multiply, then solve for X. Plus one point for having mandatory college level prerequisites. Take care, chbare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ERDoc Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 The best way I have found to do drug calculations is the write the order and let the nurse figure it out. To all of the nurses on here, this is just a joke. I gots much love for my nurses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chbare Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Actually, that is not far from the truth and no offense taken. I have never known an ER doc to manually calculate medications. In addition, I could not imagine the doc would be happy or efficient if he/she had to go around calculating doses and flow rates all day long. A medication is ordered and the nurse will calculate the dose and rate, then titrate if required. Medication calculation is a fundamental area of knowledge that any ER nurse must know. Take care, chbare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rock_shoes Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Forget the formulas they try to teach you and just revert back to the simple "solving for X" method you learned in College Algebra. It is much more intuitive, results in more precise calculations, and doesn't entail memorising silly new formulas, like most crap paramedic schools try to teach. You DID take College Algebra before attempting paramedic school, didn't you? If not, now you know why you should have. :wink: Did you really have to attend college to learn algebra for drug calculations? I had to learn that much algebra and more to finish high school. Are these differences between the US and Canadian public education systems or are they differences of generation? I can't really say but I must admit I'm curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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