One of a nurse’s primary duties is to ensure patient safety. Medication calculation and administration are patient care activities that have a high potential for harm. Therefore, medication dosage calculation proficiency is a critical behavior in the practice of safe nursing. To ensure proficiency in this important area, nursing students must demonstrate ongoing competency at calculating medication dosages. Dosage calculation proficiency will be assessed as follows in each clinical nursing course: 

1. A dosage calculation competency exam will be completed before the first day of the clinical rotation. A student must achieve a score of 90% to be considered proficient in medication calculation for that level. Medications cannot be administered in the clinical area each semester until the student has passed the dosage calculation exam.

 2. If the student achieves less than 90%, the student will enroll in an on-line dosage calculation refresher course. The course includes a tutorial and practice tests. Upon completion of the practice tests, the student must present the course coordinator a printed version of each test result. 

The student will then take a second dosage calculation competency exam. The student must achieve a score of 90% to be considered as proficient in dosage calculation for that course level.

 3. If the student fails the retake (second test), a nursing faculty member will be available to tutor the student in appropriate subject matter. A third test in dosage calculation will be given at a selected time and date.

 4. Achieving less than 90% on the final course dosage calculation competency exam will constitute a clinical failure which will result in a course failure. The student may choose to withdraw from the School of Nursing instead of receiving the failing grade.