Three words that most nursing students find disconcerting are HESI dosage calculations. Most schools require at least one dose calculation test to be passed in order to continue in a nursing degree, and many schools demand numerous tests.
On the HESI or in real life, medication calculations make us all cringe. Not only will you need to pass these tests in order to become an RN, but you will also frequently administer medications and must precisely calculate their dosages in order to protect your patients.
Understanding this subject is essential. There are no ideal situations for performing complex calculations. Because we are aware of how difficult and time-consuming it may be to calculate prescription dosages, we have done the work for you! To help you succeed on the HESI dosage calculations, we’ve put up a list of 8 expert tips.
In order to ace this test on your first attempt with a perfect score, let’s get started with our free HESI A2 practice test.
What are HESI Dosage Calculations?
Knowing what exactly dose calculations are is the first step toward success. Nursing students attend a course called Dosage and Calculations, which teaches them how to calculate medicine doses tailored to a patient from a generic dose. Depending on your nursing program, you’ll either take this topic as a stand-alone class or as part of a larger group of nursing school courses.
So why are dosage calculations difficult? Dosage calculation is tough since it involves mathematics. Simply put, you’re solving math problems.
You’ll have a hard time if you’re not a good mathematician. Unfortunately, many individuals struggle with math, which explains why so many others struggle with it. We don’t believe this class is any more difficult than the others you’ll encounter in nursing school. Depending on your experience, you may find this topic to be one of the most simple in nursing school.
Why are HESI Dosage Calculations Important?
Because you’re administering a drug from a general dose container, dosage calculations are required. Patients’ medication doses are determined by a variety of variables. It might be due to their weight, or it could be due to their real condition. It might possibly be linked to the patient’s present comorbidities or risk factors. There’s no way pharma producers could prepare medicine for every potential dosage when they package it. In most cases, it wouldn’t make sense for a pharmaceutical business to do so.
Moreover, even if the pharma company packaged every prescription in every possible dose combination, your hospital would never purchase all of them. Most institutions would purchase the most common medicine dose and then trust the nursing staff to administer the amounts correctly.
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How to Pass HESI Dosage Calculations: 8 Tips
#1 Don’t skip class
The most obvious but frequently ignored piece of advice is to show up to class.
When it comes to medication math, it’s not like other courses where you can get away with merely glancing at presentation slides.
You must attend class in order to see the issues worked out and discussed in front of you in dosage calculations.
#2 Practice makes perfect
That is, we believe, one of the most commonly used sayings. With the dosage calculations section, you’ll see that to be true.
Practice is essential while learning any mathematical concept. The dosage calculation is no exception. It won’t be enough to just look through a textbook.
One of the reasons you should put so much focus on practice is that when you’ve done enough similar problems, you’ll begin to comprehend what you need to do to arrive at the proper solution.
Even if you don’t understand why the correct answer is correct, you’ll know how to get there.
Besides, if you are looking for HESI dosage calculations practice exam, we will offer you a full set of practice exams which you will really need during studying for this section.
#3 Invest in a Study Guide
It is essential to have a thorough study guide when preparing for a test. There are several decent dosage calculation study guides on the market.
#4 Use an online resource
There are alternative options if buying a study guide is not suitable for you. Subscribing to an online resource for nursing students is one of them. There are other possibilities; however, the student academy platform we now recommend may be obtained by following this site. It’s a great forum that teaches dosage calculations as well as a slew of other topics you’ll encounter in nursing school.
#5 Take the help of a tutor
Getting a tutor is usually the best option for those who want more one-on-one assistance. Some tutoring is only done online. Some instruct in person, while others do both. In any case, you’ll be able to discover an instructor who is highly regarded and meets your requirements.
#6 Attend an office hour with your instructor
If you can’t afford a tutor, you can see your nursing professor during office hours.
You should promote tutoring more for dosage calculation since if you struggle with mathematics, it might be difficult to acquire the one-on-one assistance you require from instructors.
The explanation for this is that when it comes to math, many students will be suffering and will attend the same office hours as everyone else. This implies you’ll have less personal time.
It’s not a bad place to begin. However, if you think that individual assistance is needed, you may need to hire a tutor.
#7 Create a study group
For some students, study groups may be a valuable resource. Most of them got the top results during nursing school coming from tests in which they spent a lot of time in groups educating other students.
With a study group, you can find accountability and get assistance from other students who are strong in the area you’re weak in, while you get to help them with the difficulties you’re good at but they’re bad at.
Teaching others makes you think about the idea more deeply, strengthening what you already know.
Just make sure the group chooses a quiet spot away from distractions to study.
#8 Make use of free online resources
Some of the finest materials available in the digital era are really free and readily available on the internet.
Learning has become more affordable, easy, and accessible to the general public because of platforms like YouTube. Many other nurses and nursing students have created useful dosage calculations and other nursing school tools.
Make careful to study these materials. You get what you pay for, as the phrase goes, and you’re not paying anything for them.
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Final Thoughts
HESI dosage calculations may be challenging for certain students, but it is a course that can be passed. Despite not liking math, many nurses succeed in this course.
Resolve the issue after taking a step back and exhaling deeply. Safe nursing practice should always be your main priority.
Determining doses may be challenging, and you should always be cautious while completing the math. Hopefully, some of the stress will be reduced by the 8 suggestions above. Don’t forget to glance at our practice test as well!