Free resources · Dosage calculations
IV pump rate (mL/hr)
Setting an infusion pump when a volume must run over a given time.
Worked example: learn the method
Ungraded teaching example with different numbers from the practice exercise. For study only, not clinical use.
50 mL is to infuse over 8 hours. What rate should the pump be set to?
Total volume ÷ time in hours = mL/hr
- Put the time in hours: 8 hours
- Divide volume by time: 50 mL ÷ 8 hr = 6.25 mL/hr
- Units cancel: mL ÷ hr gives mL/hr — the unit a pump is set in.
Example result: 6 mL/hr. Pumps are set in whole millilitres per hour — round to a whole number.
Common mistake to avoid: Use hours in the denominator for mL/hr. If time is given in minutes, convert it before dividing.
Dosage formulas · Unit conversion reference
Problem
50 mL is to infuse over 2 hours. What rate should the pump be set to?
Pumps are set in whole millilitres per hour — round to a whole number.
These are practice problems for exam preparation. Every number in them is generated by CARE for teaching purposes — nothing here is a real order and nothing here is a clinical dosing tool. Do not use this page to work out a dose for a real patient: use your facility's policy, the actual order, and an independent double-check where your policy requires one.
Medication calculations also appear inside real exam practice, mixed with everything else and scored the same way. Try a free quiz drawn from the actual question bank.
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