Relevant math review

RNin2007 · Mar 30, 2006

First, are you wanting relevant math pertaining to nursing classes? Or relevant math for your pre-req math classes you still need to finish? For instance, the highest math class I had to take for my BSN was waaaaaay harder than ANY of the math in my nursing classes. As far as chemistry goes, just know dimensional analysis and I think you'll be just fine. If you want to prep yourself for math you'll see in nursing classes, you could buy a book specifically for that. Check with the school you applied to and see what book they are using. The book we use is a workbook type Dosage Calculations book (Pickar I think is the author...).

Hope that helps steer you in the right direction!

~J

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2006

For medication calculation in nursing you need to know how to solve a linear equation which is like, X + 5 = 7, solve for X. The only difference is going to be that you will need to set up the equation from the information you will be given. So, that means they will all be (drumroll please) word problems. But, not like the word problems in algebra books. More like the word problems from 8th grade math. You also need to understand how ratios work and how to work with fractions and manipulate them within equations. This is 8th grade math, or pre-algebra, if you want it in terms of college courses. You need to know how to turn the language of a word problem into numbers and symbols. Again, this is information you can find in any pre-algebra textbook.

For a review of algebra, both elementary and intermediate, try checking out Purplemath at http://www.purplemath.com/modules/index.htm

For lots of online practice problems that you can access for free you can use http://www.interactmath.com/ You need to click on the "Enter" button. The next page has a drop down menu that asks you to chose a textbook (there are so many to chose from). My recommendation is that for pre-algebra or elementary algebra that you chose Martin-Gay: Pre-algebra, 4e, ENHANCED or Martin-Gay: Beginning Algebra, 4e, ENHANCED as these are the most recent versions of her textbooks. When you select the book you want, an Installation Wizard window opens. You will need to download two drivers onto your computer (it's free) in order to use the math software. Once these drivers are loaded, you close the installation wizard and you will be into the practice problems. You use the drop down boxes to chose a chapter, section and objective within each section. As you chose these, links to problems come up. Once you are in the problems they will usually keep coming up until you reach the end of a section. The program usually allows you to correct a wrong answer two or three times before finally giving you the correct answer. You can ask the program to show you how to work each problem out step by step and ask for similar problems before moving on. You can go backward, forwards or just about anywhere else you want to go within the section of problems you are working on. This is without a doubt one of the best tutorials and programs of practice problems I have ever worked with and I used it for trig! If you do not like these, there are plenty of other textbooks by other authors to chose from. Just read through the list and try them out. I mention Martin-Gay because when I was re-taking my algebra, geometry and trig my school used her textbooks and videos. You can buy her videos through someplace like Barnes and Nobel or directly from the publisher. She explains and demonstrates things very clearly and much more slowly than any other math lecturer I have observed. Plus she has one of those mesmerizing southern drawls!

Another website you can use to help out with algebra if you already feel kind of confident knowing what you are doing is math.com at http://www.math.com/students/homeworkhelp.html . I've linked you into a page where you can chose Pre-algebra or algebra to check out.

You will be doing the same kind of math for chemistry: linear equations to solve for an unknown (X) which you will set up using ratios, or fractions. The dimensional analysis that RNin2007 talks about is nothing more than fractions that you introduce into an equation in which the numerator and denominator are equal to each other except that they are expressed in different units of measurement. An example would be a fraction which has 60 minutes as the numerator and 1 hour as the denominator. In the quirky world of math and science you are multiplying the equation by the number 1 while at the same time converting measurements in the problem to the units that are called for in the final answer. Most chemistry instructors spend time explaining this throroughly in class to students as chemistry (and nursing) are really the only two classes I know of that use this method of calculation. The other thing about chemistry is that you will usually need to do some memorizing of some of the basic elements and their atomic numbers and valences. There are no other classes that you have taken before that will really prepare you for chemistry with the expection of some very basic algebra. It really is just a matter of deciding when you want to jump into the fire and take the class.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.