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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
A resident with a swallowing problem has just finished eating. How should the resident be positioned?
AKept sitting upright for at least 30 minutes
BLaid flat right away so the food settles
CReclined with the feet raised above the head
DTurned onto the stomach to rest
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeHard
A resident's daughter asks the nursing assistant what her mother's blood test results showed. What should the nursing assistant do?
ATell her what the nursing assistant has heard at report
BRefer her to the nurse and pass on her question
CLook up the results in the chart and read them to her
DTell her the results are private and end the conversation
3.Nursing math & unit conversionsMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A dose calculation for a small injection gives 0.94141 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?
0.94141 mL
x = mL
4.Nursing math & unit conversionsHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A serum creatinine result is 58 µmol/L. Using 1 mg/dL = 88.4 µmol/L for creatinine, find c in mg/dL. Round to two decimal places.
58 µmol/L1 mg/dL = 88.4 µmol/L
c = mg/dL
3Solutions
1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Answer: A · Kept sitting upright for at least 30 minutes
Why this is the answer
Staying upright for at least 30 minutes after eating (or as long as the care plan says) helps prevent aspiration and reflux.
Answer
A · Kept sitting upright for at least 30 minutes
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Answer: B · Refer her to the nurse and pass on her question
Why this is the answer
Explaining test results and medical information is not the nursing assistant's role. The polite, correct response is to refer the daughter to the nurse and pass on the request, so the nurse can check what may be shared.
Answer
B · Refer her to the nurse and pass on her question
3.Nursing math & unit conversions
Answer: x = 0.94 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
0.94141 → 4
Only the next digit decides
0.94141 → 1
1 is 4 or less, so 4 stays.
The digits after it (41) are ignored: round once, never step by step.
Round
x = 0.94 mL
Answer
x = 0.94 mL
4.Nursing math & unit conversions
Answer: c = 0.66 mg/dL
Dimensional analysis: write the given quantity, then multiply by conversion factors written as fractions (for example 60 min/1 h or 1 mg/1000 mcg) so that each unwanted unit appears once on top and once underneath and cancels. When only the wanted unit is left, calculate. Use the equivalents the question gives and round only the final answer.
Convert
c = 58/88.4 = 0.6561 ≈ 0.66 mg/dL
Answer
c = 0.66 mg/dL
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