Questions About Nursing

Hi awildflower,

It's great that you're asking questions to find out more about the reality of nursing before working toward getting into nursing school.

I would suggest that you ask a moderator to move this post in the General Nursing Discussion though. You've posted in General Nursing Student Discussion.....so, for the most part, we're not nurses yet :-)

That being said, I'll try to answer your questions from my nursing student perspective :)

First, do you need good math skills to be a nurse? How much math do you usually use and on what level?

You need good basic math skills in order to do the dosage calculations for medications you give patients. For example, a Doc or NP might order that a patient get 5 mg of a drug per kilogram of the patients weight and your patient weights 158 pounds. The drug you have might be in a liquid form, and be 10 mg in each mL. You need to be able to figure out how many mL of the drug your patient needs.

It's algebra, but you need to be comfortable doing it (you'll get plenty of practice in nursing school).

Second, I've read that a lot of paperwork is involved. What kinds of things are on the paperwork?

Likely what is meant is charting. Since what you do (or don't do) directly impacts someone's health (even whether they live at all sometimes) everything that you do or don't do, needs to be documented. Nurses who work in hospitals may chart (document) the patients vital signs, their assessment (which is basically what the nurse finds when they do their checkup on you...listen to your heart and lungs, look in your eyes, feel your belly, that kind of stuff) any drug or treatment they gave you...or even any drug or treatment that was ordered but they didn't give you...basically anything that happens, they're going to document. Now it may or may not be "paperwork" anymore. More and more hospitals are charting on computers now.

Lastly, what is your day usually like? What do you do? What kinds of things need to get done before you leave? It's it like a routine you get better at each day?

This I'm going to leave for the nurses to answer. Because there are so many different ways to be a nurse, that this answer is going to be really different depending on where someone works as a nurse. Do they work in a hospital? If so, do they work in the operating room, the ER, on a general medical or surgical unit, labor and delivery? You get the idea....but also, loads of nurses don't work in hospitals at all. They can work in home health, or on a helicopter, for an insurance or pharmaceutical company, at a school.....lots and lots of options. So, you can see how different the answers to these questions can be.

Best of luck as you go forward in your education!

I am entering college soon and I had some questions about being a nurse.

First, do you need good math skills to be a nurse? How much math do you usually use and on what level?

Second, I've read that a lot of paperwork is involved. What kinds of things are on the paperwork?

Lastly, what is your day usually like? What do you do? What kinds of things need to get done before you leave? It's it like a routine you get better at each day?

Thank you so much! :)

First: yes, but this is basic math, not calculus, algebra and all that jazz. You use math to calculate doses of drugs, what rate to infuse IVs, when calculating HR using an ECG strip, etc. But, again, it is basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, etc).

Second: there are different kinds of paperwork, eg., physicians orders, labs. I would suggest shadowing a nurse if possible.

Lastly: meds, assessment, treatments (eg, changing wound dressings), faxing orders to pharmacy. Keep the patient breathing and keep them safe. Yes, it all takes some getting used to and it is very much a routine you get better at.

But, once again, I would STRONGLY suggest shadowing a nurse, if possible. (I wish I did.)