An RN who isn't good at math?

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I'm a pre nursing student who is waiting on an acceptance or denial letter from my choice ADN program. I'm fairly confident that I will be accepted. I have completed the majority of my BSN prereqs as well as all of my ADN prereqs (I only have 3 classes left until I'm done with my BSN prereqs).

Here is the issue. I'm not so great at math. It's not even that Im terrible at at, I'm just really uncomfortable with it. College level algebra is not a requirement for my ADN program. Nor for my future RN-BSN program. Statistics is, and I am registered to take that in the fall. Here is my question. Is it a mistake to begin nursing school before I have taken algebra or if I am uncomfortable with algebra skills? What can I do over the summer before I start RN school to prepare myself?

The main reason I am making this post is because I went to speak with a cousoler and I voiced these concerns and he actually told me that I should consider changing my major. This just about broke my heart. So any advice is truly appreciated!

What most people call "math" is really high-school-level algebra. This summer, wander on over to your local high school and take the summer school algebra I class. You will probably ace it, and that will be all you'll need to solve the word problems that constitute "med math."

The skill you'll want on focus on is identifying what's really being asked. For example, rather than freaking out when you see a problem like this ...

"Miraclecillin is prescribed for your patient at 10mg/kg body weight. He weighs 220lbs. It is delivered from pharmacy in a bag with 1 gram/500cc to give over two hours. Your IV tubing delivers 16 gtts (drops) per cc. How many cc/hour do you set your IV pump rate?"

... stop and take a deep breath.

There's a whole lot of numbers in there. However, stripping it down to, "What are they asking?" you discover that you have to give this bag of 500cc in two hours. If you can't divide 500 by 2 and come up with 250cc/hour, then you are beyond help. But of course, you can do that.

I am assuming you understand the usual equivalents of 1000 mg = 1 gm, 1000 cc = 1L, 1 hour = 60 minutes, and so forth. Print them out and stick them up over your desk to get used to them.

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I have used this website in the past to brush up on my math skills: https://www.khanacademy.org/

It' a fantastic site and can take you from basic arithmetic up through calculus - whether you use it to study for algebra or prepare for the course. Hope it helps.

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If your heart is in nursing, you should follow it and take one step at a time to actively improve your basic math skills. You can do it. :)

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I too am a pre-nursing student anxiously awaiting a letter from a college that started doing my RN-BSN prereqs in the interim between finishing ADN prereqs and actually getting accepted in the program.

I am absolutely dreadful with algebra but I aced all the dosage tests in Pharmacology because they're ratios and I am quite adept at them. That all said, I'm taking statistics now and stat is nothing like algebra IMHO. We were at the beginning of the course that we could either get a TI-84/3 calculator or do all the calculations longhand...preferably to utilize both options.

The semester is almost over and I, having no strong math skills, haven't gotten anything lower than a 97 on a homework assignment or a 92 on the test. Literally all Stat is figuring out how to use the calculator and plugging numbers into formulas. The test comes with a 8 page sheet of formulas so you just have to recognize which one you need for that particular problem, put the numbers in the right places and the calculator pretty much does the rest.

I've talked to many friends that have taken the ADN program before I did and they told me that's it's almost exclusively ratios and memorizing the metric system. Think of it this way, between Youtube, KhanAcademy and tutoring (if your school offers it) you'll have all the help you need.

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I don't know if this has been stated because I haven't read the comments yet, but I don't know of a college in the world that will let you take Statistics without requiring prerequisite Algebra or another math. You may want to double check. My college also requires Stats, but before you can enroll in the Stats class there are two math courses that must be completed(unless your placement test scores are acceptable).

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The LVN and ASN programs required no college level math coursework whatsoever. The BSN program required a basic statistics course which involved mostly theory and virtually no calculations, so I was able to get through it.

I obviously attended the wrong school. We had to pass math prereqs before we could take Statistics or Biology or Chemistry. Sheesh!

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I truly suck at math and it hasn't affected my nursing skills in the least. Don't give up on your dream!

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Hang on a sec. The amount of math 'understanding' you need for your nursing practice is very dependent upon the area in which you practice. In order to achieve critical care expertise, a nurse needs to understand some fairly sophisticated mathematical principles related to hemodynamics, vascular perfusion and pulmonary function. Titrating multiple vasoactive drips & fluids to achieve desired targets does require a working knowledge of all the factors involved.

Math skills are also required for chemistry... another essential area of 'understanding' to manage acutely ill patients.

So - while there are many clinical areas in which math skills are a non-issue, it's not a one-size-fits-all.

I don't disagree. I was setting up my answer to the OP in a way a pre-nursing student could understand. A pre-nursing student has no idea of those principles - that takes education and skill. I am going into a new position working with devices such as LVADS - just because I sucked in math doesn't mean I can't be successful here.

Nursing is an applied science. Nurses have to apply math, chemistry, and physics to a human being. Not the same as sitting down with a graphing calculator in a college classroom.

You enter a specialty to learn how to care for patients and build nursing knowledge on the fundamentals learned in college.

If you put a stats test in front of me now, I'll probably flat out fail it! Not going to lie.

Put a pacemaker patient infront of me and ask me to troubleshoot their device, I'll be able to help you with that.

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There doesn't seem to be a perfect answer to my questions, not that I really expected one. But thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the questions of a concerned student! It sounds like I just need to buckle down and force myself to become familiar with basic, and possibly more advanced, mathematical concepts.

Heres another question... (similar to what I asked already) Since I plan on starting RN school in the fall, should I take Algebra instead of statistics in the fall along with starting my nursing classes (Considering that I do want to work in an ICU type environment)? As I mentioned above, algebra is not a requirement for my program, nor for the RN-BSN program I plan on attending after I have completed my ASN. Statistics is. But I am nervous to miss out on information that I might need later on. I of course understand that there is no right or wrong answer here but I appreciate any advice given! I want to become more comfortable with the concepts that I need to be a successful RN, but I also don't really want to waste my time and money on a class that I don't necessarily need. Thanks in advance!

Ok so you need stats to graduate the BSN you plan on doing later?

Algebra is not required for your ASN?

I took stats by itself after I finished my ASN and then started my BSN program. It was required for the BSN. I would not recommend it any other way if you aren't a math nerd.

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Sounds to me your counselor was spot on. Mathmatics is very important in nursing school and nursing in general. YOU are responsible for every single medication you adminster. You have to double check meds from the pharmacy and having good math skills is vital. I am not sure what you want people to say..you say you are horrible at math...ok? So do you want people to say "oh don't worry everything will be ok"??? It won't be. You need honest answers. As a professional RN you dang well better know basic college algebra.

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I hate math, I am awful at math and I feel that the only place numbers and letter should be mixed together are in addresses and a bowl of alphabet soup, so forget algebra!

We didn't need algebra in nursing school, we needed stats, which was relatively easy (to me). I actually got an A.

Our nursing school had us get a book called calculate with confidence, and it made it very easy to understand the formulas you need as a nurse. I would grab that book and start learning formulas. Once you learn them, nursing math is pretty easy. Be smart enough to know what you do and don't know, and when doing any sort of medication calculation if you are not 100% sure you have it right, ask another nurse, then remember how it was done so you don't have to ask again.

Patient safety depends on getting it right, but you do NOT have to be a math whiz to do that!

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Sounds to me your counselor was spot on. Mathmatics is very important in nursing school and nursing in general. YOU are responsible for every single medication you adminster. You have to double check meds from the pharmacy and having good math skills is vital. I am not sure what you want people to say..you say you are horrible at math...ok? So do you want people to say "oh don't worry everything will be ok"??? It won't be. You need honest answers. As a professional RN you dang well better know basic college algebra.

Okay? I wasn't looking for a pity party, nothing I said or did implied that. But I was looking for some support and counseling from other nurses who are in or have previously been in a similar situation as I am in. Instead of repeating what I have already acknowledged in my original post (I openly admitted that math is not my strong spot, and I essentially asked what can I do to prepare myself for the mathematics used in RN school / is it a mistake to begin RN school before I have taken algebra), next time it might be more useful to answer the questions that were asked. You said I need honest answers. But you failed to actually answer any of my questions.

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