In the Veterinary Technology program I am in, there is a very important Math Competency test we need to take.
VERY IMPORTANT, as in you get three chances to pass it. If you don't pass after three tries you get to take the class all over again.
And again...and again...until you finally pass.
The reason behind this is because you absolutely need to know drug dosages. We even had to sign a paper before our first attempt that said we understand that if a dosage is off by even the smallest number, you run the risk of killing an animal. This is why we need to get 100%.
Well today I PASSED.
This was my third attempt so I was scared shitless. I was literally shaking while I was taking the exam.
I handed it in and waited. Two hours later I found out that I PASSED.
This means I can continue on with the classes I had registered for earlier this spring. No repeating classes, no more competency tests (until next quarter,) no more stressing over drug dosages for a while.
I'm so happy!
So if anyone is curious, here are a couple of questions similar to what was on the exam.
1) An 18 pound cat named Mr. Fluffy Butt needs a drug dose of a 10 mg/kg. How many mg of medication is this?
a) 81.81 mg
b) 180 mg
c) 0.18 mg
d) 818.1 mg
2) Dr. Ima Barker decides to give the drug IV. If the concentration listed on the bottle is 100 mg/mL, how many mL of medication does Mr. Fluffy Butt need?
a) 180 mL
b) 18 mL
c) 0.81 mL
d) 810 mL
3) Dr. Ima Barker changes her mind again and decides to give the medication PO. You have 100 mg tablets in your pharmacy. You need to dose Mr. Fluffy Butt three times a day. How would you dispense for 10 days?
4) 780 mL of 20% dextrose is needed. How much 50% dextrose is needed to make this?
5) 200 mL of 4.5% saline is needed. How much 9% saline is needed to make this?
6) How many mL of water would you mix with the 9% saline in the question above?
7) A 9% solution is how many mg/mL?
I'll let you all try to figure these out and let you know the correct answers tomorrow....maybe... ;)
