Certified Medical Assistant Practice Exam

How should the given drug dosage of Ampicillin 0.5g in 250mg/cap unit dose packets be calculated?

1. 1 capsule

2. 2 capsules

3. 3 capsules

4. 4 capsules

The correct answer is: 2 capsules

The calculation focuses on determining how many capsules are needed to reach the prescribed dosage of 0.5 grams of Ampicillin when each capsule contains 250 milligrams. To facilitate understanding, it's essential to convert the dosage from grams to milligrams since the dosage of the drug in each capsule is given in milligrams. 1. Convert 0.5 grams to milligrams: 0.5 grams is equivalent to 500 milligrams (because 1 gram equals 1000 milligrams). 2. Next, you need to calculate how many capsules containing 250 milligrams each would be needed to reach 500 milligrams: - Take the total required dosage (500 mg) and divide it by the amount of drug in one capsule (250 mg): 500 mg ÷ 250 mg/capsule = 2 capsules. Thus, to achieve the correct dosage of 0.5 grams of Ampicillin, 2 capsules are required. This understanding of unit conversion and division is crucial for accurate medication administration in a clinical setting.