A nurse is reviewing a new prescription with the parent of a newborn who is to receive ferrous sulfate 15 mg PO daily divided in two equal doses. Available is ferrous sulfate drops 75 mg/0.6 mL. How many mL should the nurse advise the parent to administer to the newborn per dose? (Round the answer to the nearest hundredth. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

To find the volume per dose, first determine the dose per administration. The total daily dose is 15 mg divided into two equal doses, so each dose is 15 ÷ 2 = 7.5 mg. Next, use the formula: volume = (desired dose ÷ dose on hand) × volume on hand. The available concentration is 75 mg per 0.6 mL. Setting up the calculation: (7.5 mg ÷ 75 mg) × 0.6 mL = 0.1 × 0.6 = 0.06 mL per dose. The keyed answer of 0.06 mL is correct. A common error students make is forgetting to divide the total daily dose by two before calculating the volume, which would incorrectly yield 0.12 mL. Another mistake is inverting the concentration ratio. Because this is a very small volume for a newborn, it is important to use an oral syringe calibrated for small measurements to ensure accuracy. The leading zero is required before the decimal point, and no trailing zero is needed after the final significant digit, so the correct answer is 0.06 mL per dose.