A nurse is preparing to administer prednisolone 2 mg/kg/day PO divided in equal doses every 12 hr to a toddler who has acute asthma and weighs 26 lb. Available is prednisolone syrup 15 mg/5 mL. How many mL 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.)

Let's break down the calculation step by step: Understanding the information: The child's weight is 26 lb. The medication dosage is 2 mg/kg/day. The available medication concentration is 15 mg/5 mL. The medication is to be divided into two equal doses per day. Calculating the total dose per day in mg: Convert the child's weight to kg: 26 lb ÷ 2.2 lb/kg = 11.82 kg Calculate the total dose per day: 11.82 kg × 2 mg/kg/day = 23.64 mg/day Calculating the dose per dose: Divide total dose by 2: 23.64 mg/day ÷ 2 doses/day = 11.82 mg/dose Calculating the volume to administer per dose: Use the concentration of the medication: 11.82 mg ÷ (15 mg/5 mL) = 11.82 mg ÷ 3 mg/mL = 3.94 mL Rounding the answer: 3.94 rounds to 3.9 mL