Respiratory Therapy Math vs. Nursing math

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Hello. I plan on entering the respiratory therapy program at my school fall 2012. I have been doing some research and it seems like the RT program has a lot of math in it. I am not very good in math so I was thinking about taking a Nursing dosage calculation course this summer to prepare me for the pharmacology class in the respiratory program. Do you guys think that will be a good idea or is the math used in nursing completely different from the respiratory math used in the RT program? I was just trying to get ahead of the game. Thanks!

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Hello. I plan on entering the respiratory therapy program at my school fall 2012. I have been doing some research and it seems like the RT program has a lot of math in it. I am not very good in math so I was thinking about taking a Nursing dosage calculation course this summer to prepare me for the pharmacology class in the respiratory program. Do you guys think that will be a good idea or is the math used in nursing completely different from the respiratory math used in the RT program? I was just trying to get ahead of the game. Thanks!

You're not really doing much of dose calculating in respiratory school so I would advise against taking a nursing course just for that. You will have to do some med calculations but they are very, very basic and as long as you pay attention in the lab and take notes then you will be just fine. We actually do more equations rather than med calculations and if you want some examples then look up alveolar air or the arterial oxygen content equation. Better yet, get yourself a copy of Egan's and flip to the very last page of the book on the hard cover. You see all those equations there? Learn those and you're set.

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Hello. I plan on entering the respiratory therapy program at my school fall 2012. I have been doing some research and it seems like the RT program has a lot of math in it. I am not very good in math so I was thinking about taking a Nursing dosage calculation course this summer to prepare me for the pharmacology class in the respiratory program. Do you guys think that will be a good idea or is the math used in nursing completely different from the respiratory math used in the RT program? I was just trying to get ahead of the game. Thanks!

Thanks rtDude! Can I ask you something else? Was it hard finding a job as an RT? I've been reading a lot and some people say most RT's can only find part time work

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Thanks rtDude! Can I ask you something else? Was it hard finding a job as an RT? I've been reading a lot and some people say most RT's can only find part time work

No problem. For me it wasn't hard finding work at all, I already had been offered a per diem position before I even graduated at one of the hospitals I did my preceptorship at. I was getting good hours there then got hired by another hospital for another per diem. So I was averaging between 40-60 hours a week. Just be a good student and try to make some connections but don't kiss up. Attitude is everything. Also where you live will dictate if it's easier or harder to find a job as well as plain luck.

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Could I attend a trade school instead of a community college to be an RT "wondering if there's a way around the long waiting lists" and be just as successful afterwards with an associates?

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