I Need help with Medical Math...

Nursing Students LPN/LVN Students

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hello there. i'm not an lpn as of yet, but i will be in 2008 permitting if i pass the test. i'm not really good in math and i have disliked it all my life. as you know, nurses need a lot of math in order to do doseage calculations, ht. and wt., surface area, drug doseages for peds, monitoring iv, giving im, sq, or id injection etc...i hope math won't be my downfall as a nurse because i really love nursing! does anybody have any suggestions about an easier way to do mental math for drug calculations??? any help will be appreciated. thank you so much. :):):)

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I never used mental math, I used the dimensional analysis formulas along with my trusty calculator to pass nursing school. My program allowed us to use calculators, and NCLEX has one that can be used. I am not great in math, either, but obtained an A in medical dosages. I didn't use conversions that often in since being a nurse, but I always have my trusty calculator available to me.

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I never used mental math, I used the dimensional analysis formulas along with my trusty calculator to pass nursing school. My program allowed us to use calculators, and NCLEX has one that can be used. I am not great in math, either, but obtained an A in medical dosages. I didn't use conversions that often in since being a nurse, but I always have my trusty calculator available to me.

Hello PAGANDEVA2000. Thank you so much for your reply. It was of considerable help. I feel better now, knowing that someone out there wasn't good at math. So, I'm suprised to find out that you NEVER use mental math in your calculations. Wow! I never knew that nurses were allowed to use calculators in the NCLEX or even at work, for that matter. thank you so much. :balloons::):):nurse:

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
Hello PAGANDEVA2000. Thank you so much for your reply. It was of considerable help. I feel better now, knowing that someone out there wasn't good at math. So, I'm suprised to find out that you NEVER use mental math in your calculations. Wow! I never knew that nurses were allowed to use calculators in the NCLEX or even at work, for that matter. thank you so much. :balloons::):):nurse:

There may be some nurses that might try to say to you that you had better know it in your head, but do not let them get to you. While I say it is better to know it by head, do what is best and safest for your patient. I am completely HORRIBLE in math. To this day, when I see math, I get sick to my stomach. When I was taking medical dosages, I made it my business to review it more often than my other classes, because I was so nervous. I got a bonafide A! Shocked myself. What you should do if this is an issue for you is to purchase a medical dosage book early in the game and practice. I got my book one semester before I actually took the class; this is the one, just use the hyperlink: http://www.amazon.com/Medical-Dosage-Calculations-9th/dp/0132384701/ref=sr_1_1/103-0744125-6067032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193015865&sr=1-1

They used dimensional analysis, which, takes a bit longer, but was very easy for me. The formula did not change. What most dosage instructors have done is taught the different formulas and told the student to use the one they were most comfortable with. There is the ratio/proportion, desired/available and dimensional analysis. I sat with a tutor during the summer, and got the main points together before the class started. And, that is what I use to this day.

Also, find out if your professor will allow you to use the calculator in class. Most of them do, but some may not. At least if you have a head start, you can practice early!

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hello there. i'm not an lpn as of yet, but i will be in 2008 permitting if i pass the test. i'm not really good in math and i have disliked it all my life. as you know, nurses need a lot of math in order to do doseage calculations, ht. and wt., surface area, drug doseages for peds, monitoring iv, giving im, sq, or id injection etc...i hope math won't be my downfall as a nurse because i really love nursing! does anybody have any suggestions about an easier way to do mental math for drug calculations??? any help will be appreciated. thank you so much. :):):)

omg!!! i am horrible in math and that is why it has taken me so long to go back to school and become a nurse!!! i have wanted to be a nurse for a long time and i have been afraid to go back to school because i thought that if i am really bad at math i could not become a nurse but with my husbands support and my true desire to be a nurse i will be attending my local cc in the fall 2008 or fall 2009!!!-cannot wait!!! i am so relieved that i am not alone when it comes to having a big problem with math, i hope that everything works out for you and i wish you good luck in nursing school!!!

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There may be some nurses that might try to say to you that you had better know it in your head, but do not let them get to you. While I say it is better to know it by head, do what is best and safest for your patient. I am completely HORRIBLE in math. To this day, when I see math, I get sick to my stomach. When I was taking medical dosages, I made it my business to review it more often than my other classes, because I was so nervous. I got a bonafide A! Shocked myself. What you should do if this is an issue for you is to purchase a medical dosage book early in the game and practice. I got my book one semester before I actually took the class; this is the one, just use the hyperlink: http://www.amazon.com/Medical-Dosage-Calculations-9th/dp/0132384701/ref=sr_1_1/103-0744125-6067032?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193015865&sr=1-1

They used dimensional analysis, which, takes a bit longer, but was very easy for me. The formula did not change. What most dosage instructors have done is taught the different formulas and told the student to use the one they were most comfortable with. There is the ratio/proportion, desired/available and dimensional analysis. I sat with a tutor during the summer, and got the main points together before the class started. And, that is what I use to this day.

Also, find out if your professor will allow you to use the calculator in class. Most of them do, but some may not. At least if you have a head start, you can practice early!

Thank you so much, I did not know that you could use a calculator in Nursing school and when you are a Nurse. I always thought that were not aloud to use a calculator at all. I will defintely buy a medical dosage book and ask my professor if I am aloud to use a calculator-I hope so!!!! I know that I did not post the original question but your advice is very helpful thanks so very much!!! Any other tips on how to improve math skills I would appreciate so much, thanks!!!

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thank you soo much for the resource.:w00t: I really appreciate it. Well, I'm in high school still, so I am most certain that my teacher will let me use a calcuator. We will not be learning about calulation doseages, anytime soon. My teacher said that we will be learning them next semester.So I'm taking your advice and I'm starting early in the game and practice. I have never heard of the dimensional analysis. What kind of formula is that? I've only seen doseage availabe over doseage on hand times the volume. To me, that's easier. But I want to get exposed to all types of formulas so I can choose which one is easier for me. Does the book that you use have different kinds of formulas???

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OMG!!! I am horrible in math and that is why it has taken me so long to go back to school and become a Nurse!!! I have wanted to be a Nurse for a long time and I have been afraid to go back to school because I thought that if I am really bad at math I could not become a Nurse but with my husbands support and my true desire to be a Nurse I will be attending my local CC in the Fall 2008 or Fall 2009!!!-Cannot Wait!!! I am so relieved that I am not alone when it comes to having a big problem with math, I hope that everything works out for you and I wish you good luck in Nursing school!!!

Helloo missy108208. I wish you all the best of luck. To tell you the truth, I always thought like that too. I hope that math won't be my downfall. But what I suggest to you is to try. Who knows, maybe the math portion won't be as bad as you thought. We'll go through this together. Plus, if your heart really in it to become a nurse, then you will do what you have to do in order to succeed, even if that means that you have to do math. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone; there are other nurses who are bad at math. Good luck. :balloons::nurse:

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.
hello there. i'm not an lpn as of yet, but i will be in 2008 permitting if i pass the test. i'm not really good in math and i have disliked it all my life. as you know, nurses need a lot of math in order to do doseage calculations, ht. and wt., surface area, drug doseages for peds, monitoring iv, giving im, sq, or id injection etc...i hope math won't be my downfall as a nurse because i really love nursing! does anybody have any suggestions about an easier way to do mental math for drug calculations??? any help will be appreciated. thank you so much. :):):)

hello peridotgirl,

don't be so scared about the math section. your pharmacology class will teach you how to do simpledosage calculations. you do not have to do any complex (well, i don't consider it complex) calculations. it is not calculus or physics. you just have to know a couple of formulas and you are all set. it is basic math. for example, if the doctor orders 500mg of penicillin and the pharmacy only has 250mg of penicillin available then you have to give your patients 2 tablets of that penicillin. 250mg+250mg=500mg. and the iv calculations might be alittle bit tricky but again just know the formulas and you will be fine. i am not saying it is very easy and anyone can just do these calculations, but ofcourse you gotta know what you're doing, especially when we are talking about meds. good luck.

angel

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Helloo missy108208. I wish you all the best of luck. To tell you the truth, I always thought like that too. I hope that math won't be my downfall. But what I suggest to you is to try. Who knows, maybe the math portion won't be as bad as you thought. We'll go through this together. Plus, if your heart really in it to become a nurse, then you will do what you have to do in order to succeed, even if that means that you have to do math. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone; there are other nurses who are bad at math. Good luck. :balloons::nurse:

OMG!!! Thank you so very much and I would really like to go through this together so if i ever feel down about math I have someone that knows what I am going through:):nurse:And thank for the support I really appreciate it. I am embrassed that i am so horrible at math but becoming a Nurse is my dream so I will study, study, and study, get a tutor if i have so that I will not only pass math when i start Nursing school but I know how to do it!!! I wish you good luck and keep me posted:nurse::D

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My advice to you is to know conversions inside and out. This I think is the biggest steps in Math with nursing!!

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OMG!!! Thank adding a lineyou so very much and I would really like to go through this together so if i ever feel down about math I have someone that knows what I am going through:):nurse:And thank for the support I really appreciate it. I am embrassed that i am so horrible at math but becoming a Nurse is my dream so I will study, study, and study, get a tutor if i have so that I will not only pass math when i start Nursing school but I know how to do it!!! I wish you good luck and keep me posted:nurse::D

Hi, missy120808, You are so most welcome. Don't be embrassed that you are bad with math. It does not matter how old you are; everybody has something that they are at their worst at. It does help to know that somebody out there knows what you're going through. You know- nurse -to nurse. And if you ever need any help with your nursing (are u going for your CNA?), don't hesitate to ask. I will continue to keep you posted. I'm thinking of buying a medical math book for calculating doseages so I can learn how to do this eariler. Plus, I'm bad at math, so I want to start doing them mentally before my teachers get around to teaching us how to calculate doseages. Please feel free to PM me at anytime. :nurse::nurse::nurse::):)

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