MATH and trying to learn it

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Hi my name is colton I am a CNA at a nursing home. My plans are to go to nursing school. The thing that scares me the most is not being able to do math effectivly and correctly when I am a nurse. Math has always been my worst subject it saddens me to think that I can barely do simple math and I want to be a nurse. Is there anyone else out thwre that struggles with math. Thanks!!!

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Specializes in CNA.

Yes I am so bad in math to and it worries me when I start LPN classes that I am gonna do bad in it.

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Try youtube. I found it was excellent at helping me brush up on basic math. I prefered youtube over google because watching someone do the math as the explained it really helped. I watched multiplying and dividing decimals, converting fractions to decimals and percentages and I watched a quick review on long division. Math was never my strongest subject....but, I can't believe how rusty I got!! Hope that helps!! ;)

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Specializes in EMT-P.

I would suggest that you go to your local community college, have your math level accessed and enroll in an appropriate math course based on your test results. Sure, you might have to take a remedial math class or two but I think math is an essential tool that a nurse must use. Don't feel bad about not having a strong grip at math because you can change that.

Good Luck

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Specializes in IMCU.

math is very likely a prerequisite for your local nursing schools. I would do what Michaexy suggested. Also, a site I liked Purplemath. The best site, if you have not studied math for a while or never liked it...Math.com - World of Math Online.

At math.com you just start with the very basics and move up. Keep doing more and more problems until you get a high percentage correct. Then move onto the next section. It is fab!

I finally worked out why I was so bad at math -- it was because I had huge gaps in my math education from moving all over the place. Now it turns out I am really great at math and I NEVER thought that would happen.

So take heart. I bet you can do a lot better than you think right now.

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I agree w/ the others: try youtube and other instructional websites. A good one that really helped me brush up on the basics was http://www.coolmath.com/ . Definitely take a placement test at a community college or wherever you plan on taking your prerequisites. If you are not confident at all in your math abilities, going straight to college algebra or stats without some review classes first could be a recipe for disaster. Don't worry, if you make an honest effort to learn, you will surprise yourself. I would not consider math my strong point and have not done any substantial math in 11 years, but I have been able to re-learn a lot of it on youtube, purplemath, and coolmath. I ended up testing out of the remedial courses and into college algebra because I studied so hard, but I am constantly having to look up how to do the fundamentals ALL THE TIME while doing my homework. I spend hours on my math homework sometimes and I wonder if it would have benefitted me more to just take a remedial course or two instead of busting my rear to teach myself. Whatever path you take, it will be a lot of work, but you can do it! :D

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thanks so much you really helped me alot

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Colton,

I am right there with you! I was so bad @ math, despising it with such an utter passion that I put off going to school. But, the older I got the more I forgot. I watched the you tube vids, and got the Wiley's Cliff studies (Basic math to Pre-Algebra, then the Algebra I and and II) to do some practice runs.

When I took my college entrance exam, I did well enough to enter college Algebra after not having taken an Algebra class in almost 15yrs. I worked hard w/my teacher and took advantage of the learning resources and passed my Algebra class. As the PP stated, if you feel that it is necessary, take some Pre-Algebra classes, build up from there. Don't struggle.

If you have the time, want and desire, you will achieve your goal.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Math has always been one of my poorest subjects. I've always hated it and never believed for a second I could succeed in it. I scored as low as I could on my compass and had to take three remedial classes. I surprisingly did okay in the first two (Bs) and squeaked by (strictly by the generosity of my teacher taking pity on me). I BOMBED, I mean BOMBED college algebra. It was over my head and comprehension from the first day of class. :( I decided to try the once a semester alternative to College Algebra and took College Math for Liberal Arts. Some schools call this Quantitative Math or Critical Thinking Math. While I had to work hard in this class.. I actually ENJOYED going. The concepts taught had real world applications, they made sense to me. I actually passed with a B which was such a blessing after the disaster that was college algebra. It gave me the confidence to actually believe I will do well in Stats..

I guess the point I'm trying to make is sometimes math is all about confidence. Start off with the remedial and try a quantitave math rather than algebra (if your college allows it). My husband always says that nobody is bad at math, that they just have had bad math teachers. After the awesome teacher I had for this last math class, I believe him. Tell yourself you can do math, and you will do good!

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Math has been one of my worst subjects and I have to use a calculator for pretty much everything, unless it's something SUPER simple, like "50mg of a drug is ordered, you have 25mg tabs. how many would you give?":) but honestly, practice makes perfect.

Nursing math is mostly simple math - addition, subtraction, multiplication & division. You need to know conversions/equivalents. Everything else can be done by simple formulas or if you're not a formula person, you can use dimensional analysis (which I hate) or ratio/proportion (which I love for critical care math problems).

I suggest "Calculate With Confidence" by Deborah Gray Morris as a dosage calculation guide. It is excellent and an invaluable resource :)

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Math has been one of my worst subjects and I have to use a calculator for pretty much everything, unless it's something SUPER simple, like "50mg of a drug is ordered, you have 25mg tabs. how many would you give?":) but honestly, practice makes perfect.

Nursing math is mostly simple math - addition, subtraction, multiplication & division. You need to know conversions/equivalents. Everything else can be done by simple formulas or if you're not a formula person, you can use dimensional analysis (which I hate) or ratio/proportion (which I love for critical care math problems).

I suggest "Calculate With Confidence" by Deborah Gray Morris as a dosage calculation guide. It is excellent and an invaluable resource :)

omg you just made my day. So do people look down on you for using a calculator alot. Like I not bad at math I just suck at mentally trying to figure it out. Like my dream job is to be a RN in a EOD or ICU Like envirnment. I feel like I don't have good enough mentally abilaties to work in those departments

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.
omg you just made my day. So do people look down on you for using a calculator alot. Like I not bad at math I just suck at mentally trying to figure it out. Like my dream job is to be a RN in a EOD or ICU Like envirnment. I feel like I don't have good enough mentally abilaties to work in those departments

No they don't. And I know for the ICU, they actually encourage the use of calculators because when you're working with vasoactive drugs or propofol, you better make sure your math is correct!

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