Anyone else bad at math?

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Hi everyone! I had been out of school for a while, so I ended up taking a pre-algebra class, as well as an algebra I & II sequence. I got stuck on geometry in the latter of the two, and ended up withdrawing and taking it in a later semester.

Upon hearing this, an overly opinionated relative of mine took it upon herself to insinuate that perhaps I should look into another major because of how much of nursing involves math.

I have a "dosages and calculations" book and I see almost all of the math in there is proportions, conversions, ratios, fractions and decimals... All of which were covered in my pre-algebra class, and I got an A- for my final grade in that class.

Just wondering, for the sake of my own confidence, if there are any other pre-nursing majors who aren't exactly mathematicians.

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I wouldn't consider myself "good" at math, in that, mathematical logic involved doesn't come naturally to me. However, I made it through pre-calc and am taking statistics next semester and have never gotten lower than a B. I know it's a weakness of mine, and with any weakness, you have to reinforce it so it doesn't break! I have to work 2x as hard at math and that's okay. Don't let haters bring you down or instill doubt in you! If you're driven to do this for 99 other reasons, don't let 1 make you rethink it!

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Oh yeah. I suck at math, big time! Practice makes perfect though I've found. :)

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Yes, I'm terrible at math. So much that I made a C in college algebra. But I still have a nice GPA and a 4.0 in my sciences.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

For years I thought I was "bad" at math - I floundered all throughout elementary and high school and assumed it was just me and my stupid word-oriented brain. What I realized after struggling through my first college math course and seeking help is that I'm not really worse at it than anyone else, I'm just slow. Numbers don't come naturally to me and it takes me twice as long as some of my classmates to work through new material, but once I learn it it's locked in for good. It's just a matter of figuring out what you need to do to get yourself there.

And you're right, the math required for nursing school is not particularly complex - you'll see the same formulas over an over, so it's really just a matter of precision. Don't let anyone else kill your confidence, you can handle the material and with a little practice you'll be fine. :)

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Specializes in Hospice.

I'm terrible at math, always have been. Didn't let that stop me from nursing school though, and I got an A in Math for Allied Health last semester (one of our pre reqs). So that gave me the confidence that I CAN learn math, and like the PP said, it just takes me longer.Now that I start the nursing program in a couple weeks, math has me petrified more than anything else about nursing, but I will do whatever I need to in order to make sure I've got it down, including the tutoring center, if need be. Dosage and Calc is not hard math to me, though, because once you know the formulas and ratio/proportion, it sticks with you. It's dimensional analysis I need a little practice with. You can do it, don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Open that book and tell them to figure out one of them problems! :nailbiting:

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

Have you tried Khan Academy for learning different areas of math to improve your skills?

Thank you.

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I BARELY passed pre-algebra and college algebra, but I have no problem when it comes to "real world" math.

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I struggle with math. I'm SO not a fan. Its one of those classes I managed to get an A in, but it took a LOT of dedicated study time and hard work.

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Hi everyone! I had been out of school for a while, so I ended up taking a pre-algebra class, as well as an algebra I & II sequence. I got stuck on geometry in the latter of the two, and ended up withdrawing and taking it in a later semester.

Upon hearing this, an overly opinionated relative of mine took it upon herself to insinuate that perhaps I should look into another major because of how much of nursing involves math.

I have a "dosages and calculations" book and I see almost all of the math in there is proportions, conversions, ratios, fractions and decimals... All of which were covered in my pre-algebra class, and I got an A- for my final grade in that class.

Just wondering, for the sake of my own confidence, if there are any other pre-nursing majors who aren't exactly mathematicians.

Not gonna lie. I love math. Math would have been my major, but I am not passionate about math as much as nursing. :p

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I too am not so good at advanced math and have been out of school for 20 years when I decided to pursue my BSN in nursing. I was able to self teach with "My Teacher" algebra app, Kahn Academy and some YouTube. This allowed me to test out of all the intermediate math and go straight to Algebra I which is the only math requirement for my program. The above mentioned "My Teacher" algebra app was a life saver! Math just requires repetition and practice which then turns your confidence.

P. S. don't let "haters" bring you down. Those that make stabs and low blows at others are just dealing with there own ugliness inside of themselves! Surround yourself with people who lift you up, not bring you down. Good luck!

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I was horrible at math. In school, I always passed with a D......just barely. I even remember my third grade teacher giving my mom extra study materials to work with me. Last fall when I took it, I don't know if it was because I was older, or because of my amazing teacher, but I passed it with a 95%.

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