Real-Life Math
As a medical transcriptionist who works from home, you deal with
many dictations from doctors who are still not using metric and expect you
to make the conversions.
They describe the size and shape of wounds
in U.S. measurements and suggest prescription sizes that are not converted
to metric. It is up to you to do so, because in most countries pharmacies
and hospitals deal in this measurement system.
"They have to be able
to do that (convert metric and imperial)," says Carey Silverstein. He's the
director of operations for a medical transcription company.
"There also has to be an understanding of measurement," Silverstein adds.
"They have to have an understanding in case the physician makes a mistake
or they are not sure if they have heard something correctly. They need to
have an understanding of what makes sense, especially with regard to doses
for drugs."
Here is a transcription from a doctor that contains some
measurements that need to be converted into metric, and the questions you
will have to answer.
This is what you hear on the tape:
Patient
name: Sandy Sanderson. Mrs. Sanderson is suffering from a lesion that is approximately
3 inches long and 4 inches wide. She will need to be treated first with 6
quarts of warm saline solution, then 12 ounces of cortisone ointment will
be prescribed to be applied topically.
How long and wide is
Mrs. Sanderson's cut in centimeters?
What area does it cover in
square centimeters?
How much saline solution should she get in liters?
How
much cortisone ointment will be prescribed in grams?
Remember:
1
inch = 2.54 cm
1 quart = 0.95 L
1 ounce = 28 g