Math

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Which math is mostly used in Nursing?

Algebra, Statistics.....

I am really bad at Algebra. I just want to know which course to focus on the most and will be used during my nursing career.

Thank you,

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Basic algebra is proabably the biggest component to our daily checks of medications. Especially when hanging drips. We don't just trust the computer, we do the equations to verify the computer and our math add up.

Stats is useful when reviewing peer reviewed articles and studies. Not so much the day to day.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I've used mostly basic math in my nursing career. For example...

The order is for aspirin 162mg oral daily. The facility has 81mg tablets in stock. How many tablets does the nurse administer?

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So this class I am in now for set concepts, subsets, set notations and Geometry isn't really going to apply to real world nursing?

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
So this class I am in now for set concepts, subsets, set notations and Geometry isn't really going to apply to real world nursing?
Good golly, no. The most advanced math I've had to do in real world nursing is elementary algebra, at perhaps the 7th to 8th grade level (dimensional analysis). And even then, I only do calculations a few times per year.
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Specializes in CVICU CCRN.

I agree with Commuter. I use mainly basic math, with some algebra. Even then, I only use a handful of basic formulas and plug in what I have to get what I want. (If that makes sense). With the repetition involved, the formulas are easily memorized. I tend to favor ratio/proportion and dimensional analysis methods.

Now, that said, in *nursing school* the math exams often consisted of long, drawn out story problems that required multiple conversions before you could get to the point of plugging information in to the formula. Even with that, though, the conversions were usually basic: grams to micrograms, liters to milliliters, etc. more busy work with multiple steps than truly difficult.

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I suggest you purchase the book " Basic Math Review for Nurses" by Vicki Raines

The algebra in this book + conversions is all you need to know.. Stats is required for research and understanding research papers... You will use more Stats in Master's program and DNP ...

I don't think you're bad with algebra... I think you need more practice and learning on your pace.. I found out that I learn math better on my own.. and I am deciding to take all math requirements including Stats online.

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

First off you need to know enough so you do not make a med error and injure a patient which can lead to a lawsuit. You are responsible for every single medication to administer so you better know what you are doing. If you are "really bad at algebra" then maybe you need a career where peoples lives are not at stake if you screw up. Or you need to hit the books and get "really good at algebra".

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First off you need to know enough so you do not make a med error and injure a patient which can lead to a lawsuit. You are responsible for every single medication to administer so you better know what you are doing. If you are "really bad at algebra" then maybe you need a career where peoples lives are not at stake if you screw up. Or you need to hit the books and get "really good at algebra".

Or the OP could , you know take basic algebra. Take a break from being "that person"

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