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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
Which position often makes breathing easier for a resident with COPD who is short of breath?
ALying on the stomach
BLying flat on the back without a pillow under the head
CSitting up and leaning forward over an overbed table
DLying with the head lower than the feet
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledgeHard
Which resident is at the greatest risk of developing a pressure injury?
AA resident with good nutrition who changes position often
BA resident who sits in a chair for about an hour and then walks to lunch
CA resident who walks daily and eats all meals
DA thin resident who is incontinent, cannot move in bed and eats poorly
3.Nursing math & unit conversionsMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A dose calculation for a small injection gives 0.18653 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?
0.18653 mL
x = mL
4.Nursing math & unit conversionsHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). During a shift a patient takes ¼ cup of tea, 3 fl oz of juice, 2½ tsp of cough syrup. Using the equivalents given, find the total oral intake V in mL.
1 cup = 8 fl oz = 240 mL1 fl oz = 30 mL1 tsp = 5 mL
V = mL
3Solutions
1.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Answer: C · Sitting up and leaning forward over an overbed table
Why this is the answer
Sitting up and leaning forward on a padded overbed table lets the chest expand more fully and makes breathing easier for many residents with lung disease.
Answer
C · Sitting up and leaning forward over an overbed table
2.Nursing assistant (CNA) knowledge
Answer: D · A thin resident who is incontinent, cannot move in bed and eats poorly
Why this is the answer
Pressure injury risk rises with immobility, moisture from incontinence, poor nutrition, low body weight over bony areas, and friction or shearing. A resident who has all of these is at highest risk.
Answer
D · A thin resident who is incontinent, cannot move in bed and eats poorly
3.Nursing math & unit conversions
Answer: x = 0.19 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
0.18653 → 8
Only the next digit decides
0.18653 → 6
6 is 5 or more, so round 8 up.
The digits after it (53) are ignored: round once, never step by step.
Round
x = 0.19 mL
Answer
x = 0.19 mL
4.Nursing math & unit conversions
Answer: V = 162.5 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
¼ cup = 0.25·240 = 60 mL
3 fl oz = 3·30 = 90 mL
2½ tsp = 2.5·5 = 12.5 mL
Add
V = 60 + 90 + 12.5 = 162.5 mL
Answer
V = 162.5 mL
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