Is this a trick question or am I reading too much into it?

[Raefabian4]

Like I said in a previous thread. I am going on my 2nd interview for a hospital job and they have given me a "sample" medication test and one of the questions is this:

You calculated a dosage of medication to be 40 tablets of Lasix. What do you do next?

a) double check the order with the physician

b) recalculate the order

c) give the medication

d) hold the medication

e) all of the above

f) all except c

NOW, my point of view is this, what I would do next is, recalculate the order to see if I made an error in my calculations, however, after that, I would hold the medication and then double check the order with the physician. So, does next mean, first thing I would do, then I would pick B or should I pick F?? HELP!

[snowyRN]

Recalculate and then double check with the dr....7yrs in nursing and have never seen anyone take 40 tablets of laxis...unless the hosp has them in 1mg and the pt needs 40 mg which is possible but I think the pharmacy would have the pills in 5,10 mgs etc etc

[CityKat, BSN, RN]

I had a question that was similar to this when I had a second interview too. I answered recalculate and then I wrote that if I came up with the same answer as the first calculation, I would call the MD and hold the medication.

In real life, I recalculate and then I ask another nurse and if they see the same as me, I call the MD, but I always hold the medication if I think something looks funny.

[kanzi monkey]

what do you mean by "recalculating" the order? there doesn't appear to be any calculating involved (a "tablet" can't be a variable in an equation) --only the need to clarify the order with the doc. I HATE questions like that. Obviously you're not going to GIVE it--does not giving it necessarily mean you are holding it? Or does "holding" it mean that you just wouldn't give the patient lasix at all?

This is an unanswerable question, in my opinion. In real life, I'd page the doc and ask him/her to write an order for what they actually wanted the patient to have.

[AnnieNHRN]

The answer is f) all except c. What they are looking for is that you will NOT GIVE the med and check/verify/hold the medication because you wouldn't give 40 tabs of ANYTHING without investigating.

Don't over think it. Safety first.

[Midwest4me]

The answer is f) all except c. What they are looking for is that you will NOT GIVE the med and check/verify/hold the medication because you wouldn't give 40 tabs of ANYTHING without investigating.

Don't over think it. Safety first.

:yeahthat:

[Raefabian4]

OMG, see this is my problem. I have to pick the answer that THEY think is the best and everyone looks and reads into a question differently. Of course I am going to do F but the word "next" got me to thinking if they wanted just the first thing I would do next.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I think you gave the right answer ... and I agree with CityKat. The first thing you would do would be to double-check your work to be sure you did not make a calculation error. Think how foolish you would look and how the physician would react if he/she were to be called because you made a math error. If I didn't find a calculation error, I would check the chart to be sure I had read it correctly and ask another nurse to double-check both the written order and my calculations. Only if that did not work would I call the physician.

[leslie :-D]

OMG, see this is my problem. I have to pick the answer that THEY think is the best and everyone looks and reads into a question differently. Of course I am going to do F but the word "next" got me to thinking if they wanted just the first thing I would do next.

yep, i'm reading it that way too.

i still say the NEXT action would be to recalculate.

leslie

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

you calculated a dosage of medication to be 40 tablets of lasix. what do you do next?

a) double check the order with the physician

b) recalculate the order

c) give the medication

d) hold the medication

e) all of the above

f) all except c

the answer is b. re-check your math.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Bring the 40 pills into the pt just to see their reaction when you tell them that they have to swallow 40 pills?? LOL.

I agree - I think this quesition is poorly worded. If possible, I would say, I would re-calculate, if I still got 40 pills, then I would procede with d and then a in that order.

[2BSure]

Bring the 40 pills into the pt just to see their reaction when you tell them that they have to swallow 40 pills?? LOL.

I agree - I think this quesition is poorly worded. If possible, I would say, I would re-calculate, if I still got 40 pills, then I would procede with d and then a in that order.

Now that is so funny I really did laugh my a%# off. I wish I worked with someone who had half your sense of humor.