A medication order is for 250 micrograms of a drug to be administered subcutaneously. The available syringe measures in milliliters. How many milliliters should the healthcare professional draw up?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: 1 milliliter (mL) is equal to 1000 micrograms (mcg). Therefore, to find out how many milliliters are needed for 250 micrograms: 250 mcg · 1000 = 0.25 mL. So, the healthcare professional should draw up 0.25 milliliters of the drug to administer 250 micrograms subcutaneously.
Choice A, 0.00025 milliliters, is incorrect as it is too small a volume for the required dosage. Choice B, 0.0025 milliliters, is also too small. Choice C, 0.025 milliliters, is 100 times greater than the correct answer of 0.25 milliliters. Therefore, the correct answer is 0.25 milliliters.