A nurse is caring for a client who is prescribed tetracycline 5 grams daily PO in divided doses every 8 hr. Available is tetracycline 500 mg capsules. How many capsules should the nurse administer per dose? (Round the answer to the nearest tenth. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

Determine the total daily dosage: The client is prescribed 1.5 grams of tetracycline daily. Calculate the dosage per dose: The medication is to be administered in divided doses every 8 hours. There are 24 hours in a day, so the medication is given 24/8 = 3 times a day. Therefore, the dosage per dose is 1.5 grams / 3 doses = 0.5 grams per dose. Convert the dosage per dose to milligrams: There are 1000 milligrams in 1 gram. 0.5 grams per dose = 0.5 x 1000 = 500 milligrams per dose. Determine the number of capsules per dose: Each capsule contains 500 milligrams of tetracycline. The nurse needs to administer 500 milligrams per dose. Therefore, the nurse should administer 500 milligrams / 500 milligrams per capsule = 1 capsule per dose.