Final answer:
To determine the infusion pump rate, convert the infusion time to hours and divide the total volume by the time. For 500mL of normal saline over 150 minutes, the rate should be 200 mL/hr.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the rate at which the nurse should program the infusion pump, we need to use the formula: Rate (mL/hr) = Total Volume (mL) ÷ Time (hr). In this case, 500mL of 0.9% normal saline is to be infused over 150 minutes. First, we convert the time from minutes to hours by dividing 150 minutes by 60 (the number of minutes in an hour), which gives us 2.5 hours. Then, we divide the total volume of saline solution by the time in hours, so 500 mL ÷ 2.5 hr = 200 mL/hr. The nurse should program the infusion pump at a rate of 200 mL/hour.