Question

The pediatrician has ordered vitamin K 0.5 mg IM for a newly born baby. The medication is available as 2 mg/mL. How many milliliters (mL) should the nurse administer to the baby?

a) 0.25 mL
b) 1 mL
c) 2 mL
d) 4 mL

Answer 1

The nurse should administer 0.25 mL of the vitamin K medication to the baby according to the given dosage and concentration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When calculating medication dosages, it's important to use the correct formula to ensure patient safety. In this case, to find the volume of the vitamin K medication that the nurse should administer to the newly born baby, we'll use the following calculation:

Dose ordered / Concentration available = Volume to administer.

The pediatrician has ordered 0.5 mg of vitamin K and the medication available is at a concentration of 2 mg/mL. Using the formula:

(0.5 mg) / (2 mg/mL) = 0.25 mL.

Therefore, the nurse should administer 0.25 mL of the vitamin K medication to the baby, which corresponds to option a).