I wish I had studied this before Nursing 101.......

[twins2005]

I will be starting school in the fall & want to plan ahead, so what do you wish you had studied a little more before you started Nursing 101? I am an older student, out of school for a while & have not taken any math courses since 1992. I am brushing up on some simple algebra & math calculations, fractions & such. I have heard from some nursing students in my pre-req classes that the math was killing them, there were some recent high school grads in the mix, so I am a little nervous.

Can you list here some things you wish you had known before taking your first nursing courses?

Thanks in advance!

[lainith]

I absolutely hate it! I know that math is a part of nursing...

Math is a HUGE part of nursing but fear not! Most of the calculations and formulas that you need to know are not too difficult to learn and use. Brush up on your basic math and skills from algebra. The Math for Meds books are SO helpful. Brushing up on medication dosages and basic math is one of the biggest things I can recommend for any incoming student. I spent my summer before nursing school trying to enjoy spending time with my friends and family, traveling, and reading NCLEX and medication managment books. All of those things really helped. I also spent a good deal of time watching videos on YouTube. Believe it or not, there's access to a lot of very interesting medical information and practical nursing skills videos on YouTube! CNA-type fundamental skills that you will need to know can be found in lots of videos online. The CDROMS that came with our books were great and I only wish we had had access to them BEFORE classes!

Good luck to all of you who start nursing school soon. It's an adventure! :redbeathe

[avahnel, ASN, RN]

Calculate with Confidence is the best investment I made. Also, if you have no medical background, it would be helpful to take a Medical Terminology class.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

Since you've already got a lot on drug calculations....

Abnormal Psych. I'm not kidding you, you're in for a shock. It's the NORM for us to have about a 5th of our tele/ICU stepdown patients with psych issues, and the families are even worse. Maybe the bipolar/schizoaffectivediswhatsit isn't what brought them in, but sane or crazy, sooner or later, everyone comes to the hospital. You may get a pt with a bad gallbladder who's manic/depressive, and when the family comes to visit, you realize they come by it honest, because these folks are off the chain.

[Cdnurstudent]

This might be a silly question but after a nurse figures out her dosage equation, is she then allowed to use a calculator?

[BigC]

I think the best thing I did was take Med Term, this will help you out in many of your classes, a math for meds class or book will help greatly. I too had problems with math and was out of high school 20 years before I went back for nursing, I have NO retention abilities when it comes to math..lol, so I studied and studied when I needed to.

I agree that math is an important part of nursing, but once you get the basics down and are able to work with dosages and calculations it's pretty easy from then on.

And you always have the option of contacting the pharmacist if in doubt, I have made many call's to the pharmacist when I had any doubt with a med or dosage and it pays to check, check and check again in this profession.

The internet is full of sites that have pages to help you with testing, practice and pretty much anything its just a matter of looking for it, google is my best friend...:yeah:I was able to do a lot of practice with math and medications for free from websites created by people in the profession.

Good luck and enter school with a sense of excitement don't let others scare you, seems there's always someone wanting to freak you out, at least in my experiences.

[fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN]

thank you so much for this post! i read this and immediately signed up for a medical terminology summer course haha

i will be buying a dosage book and NCLEX review book this week, and that will take care of my summer reading

[kristiwhiz]

I'm a senior currently doing the Pedi rotation and math can be a deal breaker. We had to get a Dimensional Analysis book to learn the kind of math needed for dosage calculations. The one we have to use is Clinical Calculations Made Easy (only easy for those who like math) by Gloria P. Craig. Every program has it's own preferred book, but this might help if you can't find out what your program recommends. I loathe math, but I've managed to pass all the tests with 100s. If I can do it and understand it then anyone can too!

If you're not familiar with medical terminology, go get a book to use as a reference! It has saved many of my classmates from looking like a dumb donkeys many times. I was lucky having been a certified medical assistant for a number of years and already being familiar with most of the terms.

Twins2005 - I too am an "older" student and it has only worked to my advantage. I don't feel the need to party on the weekends and, thank goodness, don't have to deal with the dating thing. (The kids can be quite a challenge though!) I think you'll be surprised how quickly you feel like you fit in with your fellow students. But, whatever you do, DON'T procrastinate on assignments and studying for tests! Keep the faith in yourself and just keep plugging along. Nursing school truly is a journey, from start to finish. I have one more semester after this one ends and I can't begin to tell you how much knowledge I've gained and how my self-confidence has grown. Good luck in this challenging and rewarding experience!!!!!

[BigC]

Honestly that's the best pre-class to take and your going to be surprised at how much it's going to help you, esp when your able to understand the language of medicine...lol, like gastroenteritis..med term will break that down and it will all become clear to you and your going to be like...wow that totally makes sense..lol.

I personally wouldn't delve into the NCLEX review until your getting close to sitting for your boards, why stress about it now? Your going to have much to do for awhile now and other things to focus on!

[nminodob]

I found the math in school was way harder than the math I am doing at work - for one thing, we get to use a calculator! But if you can set up a ratio, you are golden. For pediatrics, you will do a lot of converting between kg and pounds, because pedi meds are always calculated by the child's body weight (they love to give you the weight in pounds and the dosage in mg per kg.) Also memorize which direction to move the decimal point, as in 10 mcg = how many mg?

As for ratios, my favorite formula that always seemed to work for me was D/H x V. The Desired dose divided by what's on Hand, times the Volume it's available in. This will cover most of your math right there. The other formula you will need to know (at least in nursing school and to pass the employment math test) is the drip rate formula: The Volume divided by 60 (minutes) times the drip factor. Once you have memorized these and done a few calculation it will become second nature.

[Laurak84]

I am going into my 4th and final term, and I know starting out that math was the major issue for myself & my fellow classmates. Practicing is the best way to remember the basic formulas. We had a recommened Dosage Calculations book. Other stuff like medical terminology and anatomy are good things to go over. Also, any of the books that say "...Made Incredibly Easy" (Such as Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy)are worth getting and were highly suggested by my professors.

[hunydew2262]

By far the most difficult class I've taken is statistics. I think most BS programs require it, I'm not sure about AS programs. I had the hardest time with fluid balances. Lab values come with experience. Every clinical stresses different lab values. I wish I had spent more time learning A&P rather than just remembering enough to pass the test. Time management skills are HUGE, in clinicals and in the life of a nursing student. Finally, I'm older as well. I'll be 48 when I get my BSN. I stressed over so many little things my first couple of years in school. Remember to make time for yourself and to have fun.

[legalgirl2]

Hi, I am in my second term (Process II) going to start GI/GU May 5th. The math about killed me too, it is definitely a subject that is not my friend, I am also 41 y/o and finally going back to get the degree I got siderailed from getting 10 years ago. The book we use (Broward College) for math is Dosage Calculations A ratio-Proportion Approach Second Edition by Gloria D. Picklar. Great book, it takes you through the basics first, add, subtract, fractions, decimals etc...then on to dosage calculations. You can do it, I found it to be quite simple (and that is saying alot for me) once I worked the formula to the dosage calculations.

Good Luck!!