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If you are given a serum calcium level on USMLE. Are you suppose to assume that it is total calcium or free calcium if they don't tell you otherwise. What is the default?
Endocrine Question
- Thread starter Kluver_Bucy
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They usually do total calcium, and it should be around 10. Ionized (free) is probably half of that, but I don't know why they'd bother with that unless they wanted to bring in albumin levels in some way.
Don't twist yourself into knots over stuff like this.
Don't twist yourself into knots over stuff like this.
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yes it was total calcium that was given...i had a few (2-3) questions relating to pathology where the serum levels were given.
i checked the normal lab values one time at the beginning of the exam and then just wrote down those common ones on my yellow dry-erase card to use for the rest of the exam. that way i didn't have to keep on wasting time scrolling down the lab values window.
i checked the normal lab values one time at the beginning of the exam and then just wrote down those common ones on my yellow dry-erase card to use for the rest of the exam. that way i didn't have to keep on wasting time scrolling down the lab values window.