The thermometers must be totally submerged in the alcohol, so make sure the container the alcohol is in is big enough. Announce to the class they will be role-playing today as an LVN, a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Eighty-five percent of body heat is lost through the skin, the remainder through body excretions. The body's temperature is regulated principally through special thermal centers in the hypothalamus. Elevation of temperature above normal is called fever.
Subnormal temperature is termed hypothermia.
Divide the class into groups of two. One student will role-play the LVN and the other the patient. The student will remove the thermometer from the container of alcohol and wipe it with a sterile cotton ball moistened with alcohol. Wait three minutes. After 3 minutes remove thermometer.