Hi friends, in this video we are going to talk about weight-based medication calculations. This video was created as an introduction to basic medication calculations that will serve as a foundation for you to build upon for more complex calculations in the future. Because this can be one of the most overwhelming parts of a pediatric clinical, I have compiled some rules and a “quick guide” for you so that you are able to approach these types of problems with confidence and understand the why behind the steps you’re performing. We’ll also work through an example at the end to help bring together some of these ideas.


When you’re working through these types of problems keep these two key rules in mind: 1) make sure that all of your units can cancel in your conversion factors and 2) look at your final answer to make sure that it makes logical sense. These two rules alone will keep you on the right track the vast majority of the time. It’s good to know rounding rules too: weights are rounded to the tenths, answers greater than one are rounded to tenths, and answers less than one are rounded to hundredths.


📓 Quick Guide
Want to find the dose? You’ll need the weight-based dosing range found in your orders or other resource such as a medication reference manual.
Want to find the volume of the dose? You’ll need the concentration of the medication found on the package or label of the medication.
Want to find the medication hourly rate if the medication is given over a certain amount of time? You’ll need both the dose and the volumetric amount of the dose.


00:00 Start Here
01:24 Rule #1: Make Sure Your Units Cancel
01:47 Rule #2: See if Your Answer Makes Sense
02:19 Rounding Rules
03:30 Quick Guide
04:26 Example


📝 Need help with other pediatric calculations? Check out this video! https://youtu.be/GNJhIju5vvM
📝 Need to know how to calculate maintenance IV fluids in children? Check out this video! https://youtu.be/A-zFUNrFhXc


I’m Anna and I am a critical care registered nurse. I have worked in the NICU, PICU, pediatric floor, and on my hospital’s critical care children’s transport service. I am also a nursing instructor and love teaching students and new nurses!

Disclaimer: This video is intended for educational purposes only and is not indented as medical advice. While I strive for 100% accuracy, errors may occur and practices may change over time.