Final answer:
The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver 250 mL per hour to correctly administer 1 gram of medication in 250 mL over a 60-minute infusion period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver the medication at a rate that ensures the 1 gram of medication in 250 mL is infused over the 60-minute period. To find out the rate in mL/hr that the IV pump should be set to, we perform the unit conversion as follows:
Since the infusion is over 60 minutes and there are 60 minutes in an hour, converting 250 mL over 60 minutes to a rate per hour is straightforward:
- 250 mL / 60 min = 4.17 mL/min
To further convert this rate to milliliters per hour (mL/hr), which is the usual setting on an IV pump, you multiply by 60 minutes (since there are 60 minutes in an hour):
- 4.17 mL/min × 60 min/hr = 250 mL/hr
Therefore, the nurse should set the IV pump to deliver 250 mL per hour to ensure the correct dosage is administered over the prescribed time period.