New job if I pass the math test!

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OK, I'm in a little dilemma with a new job I have been offered. My issue is, is that I feel under qualified. I have to take a math test for the job, this is not my problem. I have been out of school for a while and have done some home health and some registry work. I just have not got as much experience as I would have liked from those jobs as I would have liked for this particular job. The job is at USC Medical Center in LA. So right now I am nervously studying, but not just for the math test. I am also studying ventilators and IV stuff. What has me worried is that I'm finding that though I am certified in these arias I feel like I didn't learn much from the classes. There is a lot of blanks for me with how ONE: to operate a ventilator, TWO my scope of practice when it comes to IV meds, and THREE I have my ACLS card and I am totally lost on what my part would be in operating a crash cart.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I think that these are normal feelings to have before you start a new job. You are going to be fine!! Just curious, were you hired into the versant residency program starting in August?

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I don't think so I actually got hired through Maxim. I'm really not even sure what department I will be working in. The whole idea of working at USC pretty much is overwhelming for me. First because it is pretty much my dream job, and second because I really haven't been working that long as a nurse. These things have me really worked up because I want this so bad, and I don't want to screw it up.

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So I have run into a little problem with my math. It is not with solving the problems, it is with the stupid gr to g and gr to mg. My problem is that when ever I look up the conversion factor for gr to mg it says 60mg (or 65mg) to 1gr, so which is it? The question is to convert GRAMS to GRAINS the problem tells you to multiply grams by 15, which is obvious because 15gr=1g. The question is "how many grains in 1.3 grams"? My problem is that if you are to work the problem using 1gr/60mg*1000mg/1g*1.3g you get the wrong answer. The right answer is 20gr according to the study guide that was given to me for this test. Yes if you use 65mg you get the right answer, but how am I suppose to know what to use 60mg or 65mg to 1gr. My other question is if you solve this using 15gr=1g you get 19.5gr, but their answer is 20gr. I was under the impression that rounding when giving medications was prohibited, and that the use of significant figures was the method to take. So why did they round?

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I'm in nursing school, we are taught it is 60 mg = 1 gr EXCEPT for Aspirin and Tylenol which is 65 mg = 1 gr. Could that be the problem?

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In 25 years of nursing and countless math tests, I have never had to convert grams to grain or vice versa. Infact if I remember right, grains is not even an acceptable unit of measure anymore. The dose myst be written using only approved measurements.

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Alsi...there will be RT's to look after the vent settings and operatuon of thwm....you need ti know hiw to suction a vented pt.....

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That would make sense the 60mg to 1gr except for Aspirin and Tylenol being 65mg. Do you know why that is by any chance. Also I have never had to use any of these conversions really in any nursing environment. I am just concerned about being able to use them correctly for this test I have to take, mostly because they are on the study guide that was given to me. When it comes to worrying about the ventilators I am just concerned about what they are going to expect out of me because I am vent certified. I'm sure suctioning wont be a problem. I'm more concerned about getting down my blood gasses so I can better understand how the machines operate. I would not like to be in a situation where I needed to operate the machine and I didn't know how.

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I need help with this question. I want to know why the answer to this question is (240.0 mL) and not 240 mL.

The question is: convert ounces to milliliters, how many milliliters in 8 ounces?

30mL/1 oz x 8 oz = 240.0 mL why the (.0) :confused:

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Specializes in ER.

It is 240 mL, not 240.0 mL. The trailing zero is on the do not use list for JCAHO because the decimal can be missed and its mistaken for 2400 mL.

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That is what make sense to me, but for some reason that is what was put on the study guide given to me. Thanks for your help I definitely am not going to add the extra zeros when I take the test, because honestly I think the study guide is wrong.

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So I passed...100%! Thanks for all your help guys.

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