Math Across the Curriculum and Dosage Calculation

Dosage Calculation Quiz Competency

Competency

Demonstrating competence in dosage calculation is essential for a student to meet clinical compliance requirements at Mount Carmel College of Nursing. Students will take a dosage calculation quiz during each clinical nursing course. Students must demonstrate competency on the dosage calculation quiz to attend clinicals. Competency is an earned score of 100% on the appropriately leveled dosage calculation quiz.

Dosage calculation quizzes are scaffolded throughout the curriculum to ensure students demonstrate competence in all dosage calculation problem types by senior year.

Quiz Delivery

Standardized quizzes will be distributed to Course Coordinators. Students will have 15 minutes to complete the dosage calculation quiz, allowing three minutes per question.  Students must calculate all dosage calculation problems utilizing dimensional analysis to achieve competency. All quizzes are five questions in which students must show their work utilizing dimensional analysis to achieve the correct answer. A student who neglects to show dimensional analysis on the quiz will not receive credit, which results in failure of the quiz. All answers must be labeled with the correct units of measurement to receive credit. Students cannot alter their answers on the quiz after turning it in.

Remediation

Students who do not achieve 100% on their dosage calculation quiz must remediate before their next attempt. Students are not permitted to retake the dosage calculation quiz on the same day as the original attempt to ensure ample time for remediation. Subsequent quiz attempts must occur at least 24 hours after the original attempt. A student will be given no more than three quiz attempts within the first week of the course to ensure adequate remediation is taking place.

The type of remediation is at the discretion of the course coordinator.

Students may see their original quiz with the instructor to enhance their understanding of incorrect answers. However, to ensure quiz integrity, the quiz must remain with the course coordinator and may not be removed from campus by the student.

Regardless of the remediation method utilized, any student requiring remediation must upload proof of remediation to Canvas before their next attempt.

Math Competency and Clinical Compliance

Students must pass the dosage calculation quiz in each clinical course. The sophomore-level clinical courses must have students pass the dosage calculation quiz before passing medications in the clinical setting, but they will not be kept from attending clinical. Junior and senior-level nursing students must pass the dosage calculation quiz before attending any clinical as part of clinical compliance.

Failure to pass the dosage calculation quiz will result in the student being clinically non-compliant, subjecting the student to the Administrative Withdrawal Policy. The student will not be permitted to enter the clinical setting until clinical compliance is achieved. Missed clinicals due to non-compliance will be subject to the Clinical and Lab Absence Policy, leading to account charges. In week one of the course, students who do not successfully pass the dosage calculation quiz will be permitted to attend clinical orientation. However, they will be dismissed after the orientation and not permitted to have any contact with patients until they have successfully passed the dosage calculation quiz.

Students' subsequent quiz attempts will occur after the completion of required remediation. Subsequent attempts will occur by administering a new quiz with similar problem types but different questions.

Student Responsibility

In sophomore-year courses, students will begin learning dosage calculation utilizing dimensional analysis. Once the students have been introduced to dosage calculation in their pharmacology course, all nursing courses will incorporate dosage calculation concepts into course exams to help improve confidence and retention. It is the student's responsibility to remain competent in their dosage calculation skills.

Resources are available throughout the college to support student success.

• • • Dimensional Analysis resources will be available in the Start Here module of each clinical nursing course to assist the student in preparing for their dosage calculation quiz.

    • The Student Success Center will be available to provide individualized support as needed in conjunction with the clinical course faculty.

    • The pharmacology course requires a textbook that incorporates dosage calculations; this resource is recommended throughout the pre-licensure programs.

Requirements for Transfer Students

Due to the varied nature of nursing school approaches to dosage calculation, any student transferring into Mount Carmel College of Nursing in their junior or senior year must show dosage calculation competency utilizing dimensional analysis before entering into a junior or senior-level clinical nursing course. Transfer students will take an in-person dosage calculation quiz during their clinical skill remediation process. The lab coordinator will schedule the quiz. All dosage calculation resources will be emailed to the students before taking the quiz. 

Junior-level transfer students must complete a dosage calculation quiz representing the totality of the sophomore-level dosage calculation quizzes. 

Senior-level transfer students must complete a dosage calculation quiz representing the totality of the sophomore and junior-level dosage calculation quizzes.

If, upon completion of the assigned dosage calculation quiz, the student earned less than 100%, the student will enter into a learning contract with the Student Success Center to ensure that the student receives the support necessary to become proficient with dosage calculation before their first clinical nursing course and dosage calculation quiz attempt. Failure to uphold their learning contract can result in a professional conduct violation, subject to the conduct and professionalism policy.