Drug Dosage Calculations for the Emergency Care Provider

Alan A. Mikolaj, B.S. received his introduction to prehospital care from his mother. She volunteered as an EMT -1 for the Timber Lakes Volunteer Fire Department near Houston, Texas. It was watching her (and listening to her stories) that prompted him to take a position in 1979 as an emergency dispatcher for the Woodlands Fire Department and South Montgomery County. In 1982 he received his Emergency Medical Technician training through the Montgomery County Hospital District and the Timber Lakes Volunteer Fire Department. He has served in the U.S. Army as a combat medic/Battalion Aid Station noncommissioned officer in-charge at Ft. Carson, Colo., in a mechanized infantry unit. As a practical nurse at Brooke Army Medical Center's (BAMC) Female Surgical Orthopedic Ward at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, Mr. Mikolaj received special experience in the postsurgical clinical environment. While at Ft. Sam Houston, he also held the position of triage specialist in BAMC's emergency room. While in the Army, he attended night school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, earning his paramedic certification. Mr. Mikolaj has worked in all areas of the prehospital care environment. He has worked for locally governed 911/ACLS services, private ambulance services, in the offshore environment, and in the training and educational arenas at both the community college and university levels. He has taught and been preceptor to hundreds of students, both civilian and military. He obtained his bachelor's of science degree in psychology from Sam Houston State University. He is currently enrolled there as a graduate student in the Master of Clinical Psychology Program. Mr. Mikolaj works as a licensed paramedic in the Houston area and volunteers regularly with the Bluebonnet Critical Incident Stress Management organization serving the greater Houston area.

SECTION I. MATHEMATICS AND FRACTIONS REVIEW.

Introduction.
Pretest.
 1. Common Fractions.
 2. Decimal Fractions.
 3. Ratios and Proportions.
 4. Percentages.
 5. Putting It All Together: Fraction Conversions.
SECTION II. SYSTEMS OF MEASUREMENT.

 6. Systems of Measurement: A Historical Perspective.
 7. The U.S. Customary Weights and Measures System.
 8. The Metric System.
 9. Conversions Between Systems.
SECTION III. EMERGENCY DRUG DOSAGE CALCULATIONS.

10. Find the Ordered Dose.
11. Find the Units per Kilogram.
12. Solutions and Dilutions.
13. Find the Concentration.
14. Calculate an I.V. Drip Rate.
15. Calculate an I.V. Drip Rate Based on Patient Weight.
16. Milliliters per Hour to Drops per Minute.
Post-test.
Appendices.