Dosage calc/math for meds question

[JudithL_in_NH]

Hiya!

Just curious , since one can't use a calculator on the pre-NLN entrance exam, which I recently took.

. . . I knew in advance and was prepared to test without one, but it surprised me nonetheless . . . most higher level assessments are more interested in the ability to apply concepts, rather than how quickly/accurately you can perform the calculations.

Is "no calculator" a nursing school thang?

Are you allowed to use calculators in your classes and when being tested in nursing school?

[cakarol]

We started out not being able to use them...we went through a HUGE reveiw of basic math...but now that we are doing dosages we are allowed to use them...BUT...if we use them in class we are supposed to use them in clinicals. One of my strongest subjects is math actually but I know that I tend to make stupid little mistakes, especially when I'm in a hurry, so I chose to use mine just for comfort so to speak, untill it's second nature to me.

Claire

[tatianamik]

Our nursing school supplies calculators for us to use during testing. The calculators are the simple nonprogramable ones. I guess they had someone who could program one and cheated.

On the clinical floor we can use whatever calculator we can find/bring.

I've heard that the NCLEX-RN has a button for a pop-up calculator.

[Patti RNstudent]

We can (& do) use calculators. Only non-scientific ones are allowed, thou. Someone got caught w/ formulas written on back of it, so now they have to be checked during exams. I know we can't bring one to NCLEX. We also use them in clinicals. So do the nurses. They're everywhere on PICU, @ each patients cribside.

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

We can use caculators if we choose to. There is no hard and fast rule.

[StrugglinStuden]

Our instructors encourage them to the point that they have extras incase you forget yours. Their rational... drug caluclation mistakes can be FATAL!!! Even during test we use calculators. We just have to know what to plug in where.

p.s. made a 100% on my "math for nurses" final exam last month! Got an "A" for the semester. Wee hee!!! Told the dean of nursing (who teaches this class) Id probley be better off in pharmacy school since math is second nature to me. If that were the case, user name wouldn't be "strugglinstudent" lol