A DAY AS A VETERINARY NURSE
two veterinary nurses visiting a gray cat
 

MAKING OBSERVATIONS, TAKING MEASUREMENTS, USING UNITS, AND CONVERSION FACTORS


In this activity you will apply several technical skills you learned in Chemistry class, and some soft skills that will demonstrate your critical thinking and communication abilities.

1) Select correct tools for measurements based on the precision needed. 2) Use various measuring tools (digital scale). 3) Take measurements and report them with the correct precision (significant digits). 4) Convert units of measurements 5) Compare and contrast experimental data with literature data.  6) Analyze situations and potential issues. 7) Verbal communication. 8) Pay attention to details.

 

 

Who you are today

You just enrolled in a vet tech certification program. Your school set up an internship for you and sent you to work as a veterinary nurse at the “Happy Pets” clinic.  As a veterinary nurse, you are expected to:

Examine animals and collect preliminary data. Talk to pet owners about their pet's condition. Prepare and take care of equipment and supplies. Update patient records.

  

   Learn about  CHEMISTRY AND VETERINARY MEDICINE

 

 

 

Start the

Interactive Simulation

 

 

 

     Technical skills review

             CHOOSING A MEASUREMENT TOOL - MeasurementS, significant digits, and units of measurement.

Some physical property of a sample such as its mass or dimensions can be described by numerical quantities. Such quantities are determined by using “measuring tools”. A scale, a ruler, and a clock are all examples of measuring tools. Measuring tools record quantities that can be described by two important items: the significant digits they contain and the units of measurements.

Significant digits are all the digits in the number string except leading zeroes (any zero that appears before the first non-zero digit in a number string). 

Counting the significant digits and the number of digits after the decimal point in a measured quantity allows us to determine the precision and accuracy of a measurements.

Measurements in science are defined as “accurate” and “precise”. A measurement is accurate when it is close to the true value. A set of measurements is precise when all measurements in the set are close to each other. Precision is sometimes referred to as “reproducibility”.  You may notice that while accurate refers to a single measurement, the word precise refers to more than one                    measurement. However, it is not uncommon to hear people refer to a measurement as “more precise” than another. 

          How do accuracy and precision relate to measuring tools and significant digits? 

          Suppose you need to mail a package. The shipping price changes depending on the weight as shown in Figure 1.

infographic: Text: use one of the scales below to weigh your package and determine the cost. Does the cost remain the same? The package is weighted with 3 scales, weights are 2, 1.6 and 1.55 lb left to right. Price table: less than 0.50 $5, 0.50 to 1.57 $ 15 1.58 - 1.95 $ 25 2 and above $50. Source: Simona Bare

        Figure 1. Choosing the correct scale to use to weigh a package at a post office. Different scales can affect the price you pay to ship the package.                

                If you use the scale to the left, you will pay $ 50.00.  The scale in the center reads 1.6 lb.; it has one digit after the decimal point. If you use this scale, you will pay $ 25.00 because the weight is between 1.58 and 1.95 lb.  However, if you use the scale to the right that reads 1.55 lb. with two digits after the decimal point, you will pay only $ 15.00.  This last measurement is more                          accurate because it is closer to the true value, and it is often referred to as more precise because it has more digits after the decimal point and more significant digits.

             Obtaining data from charts

                     A chart or graph is a visual representation of data.  There are different types of charts. For example, a wall chart can show the parts of the body.  These types of charts are also called diagrams and generally contain a legend to explain the symbols used.

                    A line graph is a commonly used way to show how a quantity changes depending on the value of another quantity.  This is the most common type of chart used in science.

                   EXAMPLE.  An apparel store may want to know how many gloves to order for the winter. To make a good estimate, the owner plots the number of pairs of gloves sold as a function of the temperature. This will allow the manager to estimate the number of gloves to order based on the weather forecast.

infographic: Text: use one of the scales below to weigh your package and determine the cost. Does the cost remain the same? The package is weighted with 3 scales, weights are 2, 1.6 and 1.55 lb left to right. Price table: less than 0.50 $5, 0.50 to 1.57 $ 15 1.58 - 1.95 $ 25 2 and above $50. Source: Simona Bare

          Figure 2 Graph of gloves sold vs temperature in Celsius.

       To determine how many pairs of gloves are sold at -20 °C, you need to locate the point -20 on the horizontal axis. As shown in figure 2.6, you will follow the -20 line up to where it meets the black trendline, then move horizontally to identify the number of pairs 820.