Can we use calulators?

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 13, 2005

Oh my goodness yes, you can use a calculator. There is no way these problems will ever be able to be done in your head (most of them). In real life you get a calculator, tables and whatever else you might need to safely calc a dosage. It's all about patient safety and I sure wouldn't want a nurse calculating out my dosage in her head

We are actually required to bring a calc to every class and test and clinical.

isabing, ASN · Sep 13, 2005

Oh my goodness yes, you can use a calculator. There is no way these problems will ever be able to be done in your head (most of them). In real life you get a calculator, tables and whatever else you might need to safely calc a dosage. It's all about patient safety and I sure wouldn't want a nurse calculating out my dosage in her head
We are actually required to bring a calc to every class and test and clinical.

Thanks for the quick reply. This is one of those questions that you know the answer to, but you still have to ask. I have been scrutinizing every rule and regulation for the last 3 months, and worrying that I am going to mess something up. I can't wait for school to start (9/28) so I can relax!

Lisa

brwnngj · Sep 13, 2005

My school supplies the calculators, they do not allow any electronical devices in the class rooms.

Nikkik163 · Sep 13, 2005

I bought my books yesterday and I have been reading "Math Magic, Nursing Math Simplified." It looks like it will be very helpful with learning dosage calcs. Our school requires a 90 or above on dosage exams. I was wondering if we will be allowed to use calculators during the exams. After studying the sample problems in "Math Magic" I know there is no way I will be able to do the problems in my head.
What are your schools policies on calculators?
Lisa
PS. Spent $902.22 on books and supplies yesterday!

you are lucky! we have to get 100 on the dosage calc or it is a failure in the whole course!! also...yes we can use calculators...but they have to be VERY basic...like only able to subtract, add, mulitply, and divide.....no graphing or scientific calculators....in fact this morning we have to have them checked by the instructors to be sure we can use them!!

truern · Sep 13, 2005

We're only allowed to use calculators supplied by the school for calc tests. AND if for some reason we have to share with a neighbor, first the instructor has to clear the calculator :uhoh3:

ImShelly31 · Sep 13, 2005

I just graduated nursing school in May...and I'm surprised to hear anyone was allowed to use calculators! Let me back up....my school was an ADN program. After all your basic courses etc there were two years of nursing classes. My first year was NO CALCULATORS! Second year (RN year) calculators allowed. But only the ones they supplied with basic features. I totally stink at math and to me this was an outrage because the "real world" doesn't work that way. I have now been nursing for 4 months and let me say that I have had very few actual drug calcs to do and anytime that I did I most certainly had access to a calculator! Best of luck and tell us what your school policy is when you find out!

I bought my books yesterday and I have been reading "Math Magic, Nursing Math Simplified." It looks like it will be very helpful with learning dosage calcs. Our school requires a 90 or above on dosage exams. I was wondering if we will be allowed to use calculators during the exams. After studying the sample problems in "Math Magic" I know there is no way I will be able to do the problems in my head.
What are your schools policies on calculators?
Lisa
PS. Spent $902.22 on books and supplies yesterday!

WSU_Ally_RN, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2005

WOW! How nice to be able to use calculators! Where I'm at, for our dosage exam, we were not allowed to use calculators. The instructors thinking is that you might be somewhere someday that doesn't have calculators and for some reason you don't have one, so you have to know how to do the calculations without one!?!?!? After that quarter, some instructors let us use them, others don't, it just depends on them. Good luck on your dosage exam!

Mona Mona, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2005

I am in Michigan, and currently taking my pre-requisite "Math for Healthcare Professions". Basically, nursing math.

Our instructor WANTS and STRESSES to us to learn how to use the calculator. He says that every semester in our 5 semester actual nursing program we will be tested on dosages, etc. So, I hope he's not a liar! We are using a TI 30X. Not a basic one, but not a scientific one either. I sure hope he's right! He's been teaching for a long time though, and works closely with the nursing program, so I am pretty sure he is. Still, even if I only get to use a "basic" calculator, it's still better than doing them by hand! Yikes! :uhoh21:

The way he put it, is that in the real world, you get a calculator. They don't care HOW you do it, just do it fast, and RIGHT. You don't have time to sit and do it by hand with doctors, patients, family members yelling at you. His words, exactly. That's what he needs to teach us. Quickness and accuracy.

Momto3andNurse2B · Sep 13, 2005

We are absolutely NOT allowed to use calculators for our dosage calculations class! The class only meets 5 times, final exam is 10 questions 9 or better to pass the class (which is graded pass/fail). I don't yet know what the policy is for the math test we have to take at the beginning of each clinical rotation. For those, we also must score 90% or we won't be allowed to work in the hospital.

My final is this Thursday!

AuntieRN · Sep 13, 2005

OMG I could never do all that math without a calculator. We are only allowed basic calculators and they are checked by your instructor before every test. There is no sharing allowed either. If you did not bring your own that is your tough luck. We only have to get a 90 on ours too and we have three chances to get it. If you do not get it in those 3 chances you fail the entire semester. It really is not that hard (and I hate math) most of it is formulas. My instructors have always taught us if your answer does not seem realistic than chances are you probably have the formula backwards. We use Dimensional analysis at our school. Good luck!!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Sep 13, 2005

WOW! How nice to be able to use calculators! Where I'm at, for our dosage exam, we were not allowed to use calculators. The instructors thinking is that you might be somewhere someday that doesn't have calculators and for some reason you don't have one, so you have to know how to do the calculations without one!?!?!? After that quarter, some instructors let us use them, others don't, it just depends on them. Good luck on your dosage exam!

We are provided with calculators for each of our dosage exams (which require a 100% to pass), BUT our work must be shown detailed on the page, so that the instructor can follow every single step you did. The calculator, they reason, is so you can VERIFY your numbers before turning in the paper. If you don't show every step, long division down to zero (as possible), multiplication completely, moving decimals, whatever, you fail. I remember a student who was freaking out, saying she didnt' know how to divide "on paper", that's what calculators were for, it wasn't fair...you get the idea. She couldn't understand how NOT to use a calculator, except as a verification.

The proctor supplies the calculators that day, no personal calcs allowed.

So it's not that we're "allowed to use calculators" to do the math; it's just for anxiety purposes I think :) Everyone who passes the exam had to be able to show all the steps, so there's no "what would you do without a calculator" worries :)