Final answer:
To administer the correct dose of 500 mg of Neurontin when given a solution of 250 mg in 5 mL, a proportion can be used to determine that 10 mL of the solution would need to be given.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student needs to know how to convert from one unit to another, specifically from milligrams (mg) of medication to milliliters (mL) of liquid medication. In this case, the conversion is based on the concentration of the drug on hand, which is 250 mg of Neurontin in 5 mL of solution. We can set up a proportion to solve for the required volume to be administered.
250 mg is to 5 mL as 500 mg is to x mL.
By cross-multiplication, we get:
250mg × x = 500mg × 5mL.
To find x, we divide both sides of the equation by 250 mg:
x = (500 × 5) / 250
x = 10 mL
Therefore, the student should administer 10 mL of Neurontin solution to provide the ordered 500 mg dose.