Question

The nurse is caring for a client on the surgical unit. The primary healthcare provider prescribed morphine sulfate 20 mg IM one time dose. The nurse has available: morphine sulfate in a 20 mL vial, labeled 15 mg per mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? Record answer using one decimal place.

Answer 1

To administer the correct dose of morphine sulfate, the nurse must calculate the volume based on the prescription and concentration. With a 15 mg/mL concentration and a 20 mg dose required, the nurse should administer 1.3 mL.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of the question is dosage calculation, a critical skill in the field of healthcare, specifically nursing. The student is being asked to perform a calculation to determine the correct volume of medication to administer based on the doctor's prescription and the concentration of the medication available.

The physician has prescribed 20 mg of morphine sulfate, to be given intramuscularly (IM). The nurse has a vial of morphine sulfate labeled 15 mg per mL. To find the volume that should be administered, the nurse needs to perform a simple conversion, dividing the prescribed milligrams of morphine by the concentration available:

Volume (mL) = Dose required (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
Volume (mL) = 20 mg / 15 mg/mL = 1.3 mL

Therefore, the nurse should administer 1.3 mL of morphine sulfate to deliver the prescribed 20 mg dose to the patient.