A nurse is about to administer penicillin G benzathine 1.2 million units IM. How many mL should the nurse administer if the available concentration is 600,000 units/mL?

To determine the correct volume to administer, the nurse needs to calculate the amount of mL required to achieve a total dose of 1.2 million units using the concentration available.

The concentration of penicillin G benzathine is 600,000 units per mL. To find out how many mL are needed for the total dose of 1.2 million units, the nurse can use the formula:

Total required dose (units) / Concentration (units/mL) = Volume (mL)

Substituting the known values:

1,200,000 units / 600,000 units/mL = 2 mL

This calculation shows that to achieve a dose of 1.2 million units, the nurse should administer 2 mL of the medication. This matches the correct answer choice. The process highlights the importance of understanding dosing calculations, especially when working with medications in various concentrations.