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1Formulas and methods
Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Method
Check whether the resident is in danger right now (not breathing, choking, a fall, chest pain, stroke signs); if so, keep them safe and get the nurse at once.
Ask whether the task is within the nursing assistant’s scope and training; if not, decline politely and tell the nurse.
Respect the resident’s rights: privacy, choice, refusal of care, dignity and freedom from abuse and unneeded restraints.
Apply the basic rules: hand hygiene, body mechanics, bed low and call light within reach, weak side first when dressing.
Observe and report: compare with the resident’s usual state and report changes promptly and objectively.
Nursing math & unit conversions
Metric steps
1 kg = 1000 g, 1 g = 1000 mg, 1 mg = 1000 mcg, 1 L = 1000 mL
Weight and length
1 kg = 2.2 lb, 1 lb = 16 oz, 1 in = 2.54 cm, 1 ft = 12 in
Household measures
1 tsp = 5 mL, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 fl oz = 30 mL, 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 240 mL
Write the given quantity with its unit and the unit you want.
Pick the equivalent: 1000 between kg, g, mg and mcg or L and mL; 1 kg = 2.2 lb; 1 tsp = 5 mL, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 fl oz = 30 mL, 1 cup = 240 mL.
Write it as a fraction so that the unwanted unit cancels; for a rate, use one fraction per unit that changes.
Check the direction: a smaller unit gives a bigger number.
Round only the final answer, to the precision the question names.
2Practice problems
1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeMedium
Before weighing a resident on an upright balance scale, what should the nursing assistant check?
AThat the resident is wearing shoes
BThat the resident has just eaten a meal
CThat the scale is next to a window
DThat the scale is balanced at zero
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeHard
At noon, a nursing assistant realizes that she forgot to put on a resident's ordered hand splint this morning. What should she do?
APut it on now and tell no one about the delay
BLeave it off until tomorrow so the record matches
CTell the nurse promptly about the missed care
DRecord that the splint was put on in the morning
3.Nursing math & unit conversionsMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A dose calculation for a small injection gives 0.83158 mL. The rule in this exercise is that volumes below 1 mL are rounded to the nearest hundredth of a mL. What value x do you record?
0.83158 mL
x = mL
4.Nursing math & unit conversionsHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). During a shift a patient takes 3 fl oz of juice, ¼ cup of tea, 2½ tsp of cough syrup, 2 tbsp of liquid supplement. Using the equivalents given, find the total oral intake V in mL.
1 fl oz = 30 mL1 cup = 8 fl oz = 240 mL1 tsp = 5 mL1 tbsp = 15 mL
V = mL
3Solutions
1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Answer: D · That the scale is balanced at zero
Why this is the answer
The scale must balance at zero before the resident steps on. Weighing at the same time, with similar clothing and after voiding, keeps results comparable.
Answer
D · That the scale is balanced at zero
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Answer: C · Tell the nurse promptly about the missed care
Why this is the answer
Mistakes and missed care are reported to the nurse promptly and honestly. The nurse decides what to do next. Recording care that was not given is falsification.
Answer
C · Tell the nurse promptly about the missed care
3.Nursing math & unit conversions
Answer: x = 0.83 mL
Rounding: look at the digit just after the place you round to: 5 or more rounds up, 4 or less leaves the digit as it is. Round only the final answer, never the steps. Typical exam rules: volumes of 1 mL or more to the nearest tenth, volumes below 1 mL to the nearest hundredth, drip rates to whole drops and weights to one decimal place; always follow the rule the question states.
Digit in the hundredths place
0.83158 → 3
Only the next digit decides
0.83158 → 1
1 is 4 or less, so 3 stays.
The digits after it (58) are ignored: round once, never step by step.
Round
x = 0.83 mL
Answer
x = 0.83 mL
4.Nursing math & unit conversions
Answer: V = 192.5 mL
Household measures and weight: nursing exams use rounded equivalents: 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 mL, 1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15 mL = 3 tsp, 1 fluid ounce (fl oz) = 30 mL = 2 tbsp, and 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 240 mL. For weight, 1 kg = 2.2 lb and 1 lb = 16 oz; for length, 1 inch = 2.54 cm. Set the conversion up so that the unit you do not want cancels out.
Each item in mL
3 fl oz = 3·30 = 90 mL
¼ cup = 0.25·240 = 60 mL
2½ tsp = 2.5·5 = 12.5 mL
2 tbsp = 2·15 = 30 mL
Add
V = 90 + 60 + 12.5 + 30 = 192.5 mL
Answer
V = 192.5 mL
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