Math Question

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Are you allowed in your nursing school to use a calculator for dosage cal. I start school this week and all summer i have been working on my math. I can do all the problems without a calc. but its so much easier with one so I was wondering what your school allows. Im not sure what to expect with my school im going to be attending Holy Name Hospital School of Nursing in NJ

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

I can't imagine any nursing school that wouldn't let you use a calculator. The skill is in setting up the problem and knowing how to solve it, not the actual computations. I don't think you have anything to worry about! :)

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Nope. My school does not allow students to use calculators. It is simple math and doable without a calc. Don't stress out, you will be surprised to see how easy the math is...you have done it in 4-5 grade.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Nope. My school does not allow students to use calculators. It is simple math and doable without a calc. Don't stress out, you will be surprised to see how easy the math is...you have done it in 4-5 grade.

Really?! Your school gets an :uhoh3: for that. Some restrictions seem a little over the top in nursing school.

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Yes, no calculator allowed. I feel bad for those that don't like math because they struggle even more without a calc

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Calculators were NOT allowed at all during my LPN schooling. And I know the school I want to apply to for my LPN to RN bridge doesn't allow them either (have several friends in the nursing school there and they verified this)

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You could always email one of your instructors and ask.. or ask a current or previous student? My school allows calculators. Like a previous poster said, the point is that you understand what's being asked and can set up the problem correctly. It's not like when you're an RN in a hospital, they're going to tell you "no calculators."

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Either way i know how to do the problems I just feel like with a calc. there is no way for error.

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Either way i know how to do the problems I just feel like with a calc. there is no way for error.

Well, there's still the possibility of error, but I agree that I would feel more comfortable about the accuracy of my answer if I used a calculator, despite being competent at figuring it out without a calculator.

Not to mention, a calculator would be quicker.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

My school allows calculators, but we weren't allowed to use them for our IV math test and that one was hard (looooong division!) I failed that one twice before passing it on my third try. Other than that we were always allowed to use calculators.

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Our school does allow calculators. However, they have to be simple bare bone calculators and not the scientific ones...I'm not really sure what the advantage is with scientific calculators, but that's their rule and I'm sticking with the program:D

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yes, our school definitely allows a calculator. i dont trust myself to do the calculations in my head, especially for the more complicated ones. you can use them on the floor as a real nurse, so it would be dumb in my opinion if they told you you couldn't use one.

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