Mathematical aspect of nursing

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Hello!!

i too, am pursuing a change of career at the ripe age of 36. i have a degree in social services...while i'm excited at the prospect of becoming a nurse, if i am truthful, i am also very worried. i am currently waiting for my official acceptance. the problem is that i NEVER had strong mathematic skills, and that is the aspect that scares me most, i understand nurses must know how to convert dosages...the thought alone makes me shudder!! does anyone have this particular problem? weak math skills? can i still succeed?

i took one college level math for my BA (got a B) but this is :cry:different!!! i feel so stupid in math...

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Hi and welcome to allnurses!

I too was weak at math, and I too have a social sciences degree. The math you need to be able to do is not that tough! AND it can be practiced and mastered in a short period of time! Take some time and buy some books about nursing math, and if you know which book you will be using for your nursing math (dosage calculations) class, go ahead and buy it. Also if you can find a chemistry teacher, they can help you with it also. I firmly believe that math needs more practice than any other class you will take, simply because you don't do math every day. It's like learning to roller skate (if you don't do it for 5 or 6 years, eventually you will forget how) but you can teach yourself. Find some good books ( [COLOR="black"]stressed out about drug math[/COLOR] is a really good one. Don't Panic!!! Math is not difficult if you just take it one step at a time and practice as many problems as you can. Remember: the more math problems you do, the better you will become with the math. This is not like Trig. or calculus. This is not even as hard as algebra. If you can multiply, divide, and follow instructions, you will be fine. There are many threads on this site about drug math and how to work the problems. Just do a search here on this site about dosage calculations, or drug math, and you will be able to find some help.

Good Luck,

Laura

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Specializes in Vascular Access.
Hello!!

i too, am pursuing a change of career at the ripe age of 36. i have a degree in social services...while i'm excited at the prospect of becoming a nurse, if i am truthful, i am also very worried. i am currently waiting for my official acceptance. the problem is that i NEVER had strong mathematic skills, and that is the aspect that scares me most, i understand nurses must know how to convert dosages...the thought alone makes me shudder!! does anyone have this particular problem? weak math skills? can i still succeed?

i took one college level math for my BA (got a B) but this is :cry:different!!! i feel so stupid in math...

Dear Isitpossible,

IT IS POSSIBLE!! I realize that many students are math "shy" to put it nicely, however like the other poster stated, it can be mastered.

If you'd like, you can email me and I'd be more than happy to tudor you.

I believe that it is important to help each other, especially in stressful times. Together, we'll make it less tense, and your patients and the nursing profession will benefit from it!

:typing

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

I always tought that math was for aliens (lol) but basicaly the math involved in nursing is not a monster!!!

you need to pay attention to fraction, percentage, decimals, units, Oz, ML, invertion of systems metric, inches, centimeters....

nothing passed basic algebra to medium math!

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