An RN who isn't good at math?

[nursingjourney]

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!

[nursingjourney]

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.

Thank you for acknowledging that I wont necessarily understand everything that a seasoned nurse/nursing student might. Your answer was both supportive and honest and I agree with you!

[TLizS]

I absolutely STRUGGLED through college algebra (and had to take it more than once to barely pass it)......I made an A in Stats.....I've heard so many people say if algebra is hard for you stats will likely be MUCH easier....(and vice versa)....that was 100% the case for me

That being said....Dosage calc isn't hard once you understand what you are figuring. Like someone else said....it's mostly figuring out exactly what they are asking for....If I can do it...YOU can do it...because math is SERIOUSLY not my thing. Don't stress over it...take it one semester at a time and you WILL learn what you need to know