Description and student perceptions of a medications dosing calculations course for non-healthcare majors.

Abstract

To describe and assess a dosing calculations course presented to first-year college honors students who are not healthcare majors. The primary objective is, can first year undergraduate college honors students, who have not enrolled in a professional healthcare program, be successful in a calculations dosing course? The secondary objective is, what are the students' perceptions of the course? The instructor facilitated an in-person dosage calculations course, 1 h per week over 14 weeks. Small teams of students were created to facilitate learning throughout the semester. All 15 students passed the course, and overall, the student perceptions were positive. First-year college students, who were not healthcare majors, were able to be successful in a math and medications course. Overall, students had a positive perception of the course. Some students did have a concern about the relevance of the course to their future careers. This may be improved with the selection of healthcare students in the course for future offerings.