The relationship between nursing students' mathematical skills and self-efficacy scale for medication administration in children: A 3-center descriptive study

• Many nursing students have difficulty calculating pediatric medication doses. • This study links low math skills with low self-efficacy in medication administration. • Findings support enhancing clinical dose calculation training in nursing education. Pediatric medication administration requires strong mathematical skills and self-efficacy. However, many nursing students face challenges with dose calculations, which may affect their clinical competence. This study examined the relationship between nursing students’ mathematical skills and their self-efficacy in administering pediatric medications, and to identify influencing factors. This cross-sectional study included 390 third- and fourth-year nursing students from 3 institutions who had completed relevant nursing courses. Data were collected using the Student Information Form, the Mathematical Skills Form, and the Self-Efficacy Scale of Medication Administration in Children for Nursing Students (SESMAC). The mean age of participants was 21.77 ± 0.93 years; 69.5% were female and 52.1% were third-year students. While 52.1% reported difficulty with dose calculations, 46.9% rarely performed them in practice. The mean SESMAC score was 45.31 ± 12.99. Students reporting difficulty understanding or solving math problems had significantly lower SESMAC scores ( P < 0.05). The results suggest that nursing students have low self-efficacy in pediatric medication administration and limited practice with dose calculations. Hospital-based training could help improve their confidence and competence in this area.