Final answer:
By establishing a rate of 4.8 patients per hour from the initial ratio of 24 patients in five hours, we can multiply this rate by eight hours to find that a nurse can see approximately 38 patients in an eight-hour period.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the number of patients a nurse can see in an eight-hour period, based on the given rate of seeing 24 patients in five hours, we will set up a ratio. The nurse sees 24 patients in 5 hours, so we can divide the number of patients she sees (24) by the number of hours (5) to find the number of patients she sees per hour:
Patients per hour = 24 patients / 5 hours = 4.8 patients/hour
Next, we multiply the number of patients she can see per hour by the new number of hours (8 hours) to find the total number of patients she can see in that time:
Total patients in 8 hours = 4.8 patients/hour × 8 hours = 38.4 patients
Since a nurse cannot see a fraction of a patient, we round to the nearest whole number. Therefore, the nurse can see approximately 38 patients in eight hours.