The nurse received an order for penicillin V potassium (Penicillin-VK®) suspension at a dose of 0.75 g. The medication is available in a concentration of 250 mg/5 mL. How many milliliters are to be administered?

To calculate how many milliliters (mL) of the penicillin V potassium suspension should be administered, we need to use the following steps:

1. Convert the dose from grams to milligrams, because the concentration is given in milligrams per milliliters. There are 1000 milligrams (mg) in one gram (g), so: 0.75 g × 1000 mg/g = 750 mg

2. Now we have the ordered dose in milligrams (750 mg), and we need to figure out how many milliliters of the solution will provide this dose given the concentration of 250 mg/5 mL.

3. We can set up a ratio and proportion based on the concentration provided: ("amount of drug in mg" / "volume of solution in mL") = ("desired amount of drug in mg" / "desired volume of solution in mL")

In this case: (250 mg / 5 mL) = (750 mg / x mL) To solve for x mL, we cross-multiply and then divide:

(250 mg) * (x mL) = (5 mL) * (750 mg) 250x = 3750 x = 3750 / 250 x = 15 mL

So, you would administer 15 mL of the suspension to deliver a dose of 0.75 g of penicillin V potassium.