Not good at mental math

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Hi,

So I have been accepted to RN program for September 2015. I am really nervous.

I heard that nursing requires student to know their basic math for (multiplying, adding, subtracting, dividing) taking vital signs etc. I consider myself good in math but I can't do basic math in my head even if it's small numbers. I have to either count it with my fingers or write it down to see. I am scared and embarrassed if I can't do those in front of teachers and students. I talked to a few of my friends about the program I am going to and they tell me you need to multiple pulses etc..

Are there any tips how to improve?

Thank you for reading!

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

PRACTICE!

You may not be good at it now, but you have five months to GET good at it!

Seriously, are you willing to practice 30 minutes twice a day? You'll be a whiz by the time September rolls around.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

Practice! I was horrible at addition and subtraction in my head until I got a concessions/merchandise job working a large sports stadium during games. All of a sudden I had to be able to make change for cash with out a register or anything. It was hard at first, but by the end of the season I was surprisingly comfortable with it.

Another thing that helped me was using Khan Academy. Last fall I went all the way back to kindergarten level math and started working my way forward (now up to pre-calc). I had a lot of issues with K-2nd grade level math in school, in that it wasn't taught very well. Refreshing the basics and learning math in little kid format again really solidified my basic math skills.

I still prefer to use a piece of scratch paper when working things out, but practice has improved my mental and basic math abilities greatly.

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Thanks. Is there a website that I can use to practice?

Much appreciated, thank you! :)

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Specializes in M/S, pedi.

I second Khan academy, it is free and helped me as I never properly learned multiplication tables as a kid, so I went back to basics with Khan. Very helpful, also helped with placement testing.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.
Thanks. Is there a website that I can use to practice?

Much appreciated, thank you! :)

Yes! Khan Academy is the website I've used. It is entirely free, though register if you want it to keep track of your progress. Link here: https://www.khanacademy.org/

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