Every day math

I never had the first taste of algebra till I started nursing school. Now I use it frequently. I used a tutor while in nursing school. I recommend you google for nursing math online or go to a bookstore for a math/med book. You might be surprised how much better you are then you think, especially when you can relate the math to a real life situation.

I put together a Math calculator in Excel and it is now on the hospitals intranet for nurses to use if they are unsure. If anyone is interested, I am more than willing to share. Only thing is, the UK is entirely metric. I remember when I worked in the States in the late 70's, you were using some imperial. I had never heard of drams before I went there! Do you still use that as a measure? And quarts & gills is definately out on my calculator!

I agree with classicdame. I am in a Mathematical Measurements class after 20 years without a math class. Everything in this class is related to real situations, like if your pt's IV is 2/5 empty and there is 600ml left in the bag, how much was in the bag when it was full? I find it so much more understandable and interesting than x = 2/5x + 600

Why don't you find out what the pre-reqs are for the nursing programs to which you want to apply, that will tell you what to take in college. Good luck! You will do fine.

If you can, try and adjust the formulas you learn to something that seems logical to you.

For example:

If you want to know how much of a medication you need to give, I always say

"What you want" x volume

"What you've got"

rather than:

amount required x volume

amount available

Its just easier to remember if you can relate it practically

Yeah, I've looked up all my prerequisites so I know the math classes I need to take. I was just wondering how prepared I would be given the prerequisites and how much math nurses use.

http://nursing.uams.edu/Recruiting/BSNbrochure.pdf