If a medication is ordered as 0.5 grams and supplied as 250 mg tablets, how many tablets should the nurse administer?

To determine how many tablets to administer, it’s important to convert all measurements to the same unit. The medication is ordered in grams, while the supply is given in milligrams.

First, convert 0.5 grams to milligrams:

• Since 1 gram equals 1000 milligrams, 0.5 grams is equal to 0.5 × 1000 mg, which equals 500 mg.

Next, since the medication is supplied in 250 mg tablets, you can calculate how many tablets are needed to make up the required 500 mg:

• Divide the total required dose (500 mg) by the amount per tablet (250 mg).

500 mg ÷ 250 mg/tablet = 2 tablets.

Thus, the correct number of tablets to administer is 2. This calculation shows that by correctly converting units and performing division, you can accurately determine the required dosage.