Abstract

Medication dosage calculation (MDC) competency is essential for safe nursing practice. However, many prelicensure nursing students experience persistent numeracy deficits, anxiety, and inconsistent preparation, contributing to academic failure and potential patient harm. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project addressed the need for effective early instructional strategies by evaluating the impact of an MDC simulation-based learning through deliberate practice (SBL-DP) intervention on first-quarter Associate Degree in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students’ General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) scores. Guided by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, a quantitative, quasi-experimental one-group before-and-after design was used with a convenience sample of students enrolled in a Foundations of Nursing course (N =122) at a private nursing college in west-central Florida, United States. Participants (n = 59) completed the validated GSE before and after a structured, hands-on simulation session involving the calculation and preparation of milliliter, tablet, and capsule dosages. Data was collected electronically using unique identifiers and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test due to violations of normality. Results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in GSE scores following the intervention (p < 0.001), indicating that early experiential practice may strengthen students’ confidence in MDC performance. The findings suggest that early integration of structured SBL-DP into nursing education may support learner readiness and improve self-efficacy in MDC tasks (Bandura, 1997; Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995; Wodwaski & Sinutko, 2020).

Author Details

Hasani Green, DNP, RN

Sigma Membership

Chi Alpha at-Large

Lead Author Affiliation

Galen College of Nursing, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Quasi-Experimental Study, Other

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Medical Dosage Calculation, Drug Dosage, Simulation-Based Learning, Simulation Methods in Education, Deliberate Practice, Medication Error Prevention, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Self-Efficacy, Nursing Students, Nursing Education, Nursing Practice

Advisor

Patricia Cannistraci

Second Advisor

Analisa Campomanes-Bueno

Third Advisor

Janis Watts

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Post University

Degree Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

Date of Issue

2026-10-16

Full Text of Presentation

wf_yes

Download
Click on the above link to access the paper.

Share

COinS