Identifying Nursing Students at Risk to Fail a Dosage Calculation Exam

BACKGROUND: Dosage calculation is a required competency that many nursing students struggle to achieve. PURPOSE: The study's purpose was to determine if nursing students most likely to struggle in dosage calculation could be identified. METHODS: A historical dataset was examined to identify demographic and academic characteristics that distinguished students who passed their first attempt on a dosage calculation exam from those who failed. RESULTS: Logistic regression revealed 4 factors associated with dosage calculation exam success: high-school grade-point average, first-semester college grade-point average, critical thinking score, and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students likely to struggle in dosage calculation competency can be identified. Once identified, educators can then proactively provide these students with additional education and support to achieve success in this area.