The Nursing Math Thread

You are welcome, it took me lots of practice and 5 math tests in nursing school to get the hang of this kind of math...I'm glad I finally got it as we have to take a math test at my job now every year as part of our computer-based learning classes!

As a math dyslexic person (discalculi) I struggled with math over and over, taking every math class twice, and studying twice as long as everybody else and still only passing with a C, the very limit needed to get into nursing school.

I am now in a nursing program, that uses a program called METI edose. It took me ten minutes to figure out IV math and how to make conversions. It took out all the guess work, and I am now receiving A's on all my math test's and finishing before everybody else. After all the years of crying and ripping my hair out, and taking medication before a math test, I now look forward to math class and have so much fun doing the calculations. I don't know if this site is available for just schools, or if anybody can join. However, if there is a cost for it... I would recommend this math program to anybody. Our instructor said that the first year they switched to this program everybody passed the math the first try, VS most everybody failing it before institution of the program.

Hey I have that, I didn't know it had a name!

Hey I have that, I didn't know it had a name!

I didn't either, and didn't know such a thing existed, until I went to be tested.

If Sally takes 4 hours to paint a house and John takes 6 hours, how many hours would it take both of them to paint the house?

I found a really easy way to solve these problems. FInd the common denominator, then add. Flip and divide.

1/4 + 1/6

=3/12+2/12

=5/12

12/5=2.4 hours

this is more an algebra question and I can not seem to get basic understanding to solve this problem. Here is the question I found on an online study guide.

If Sally can paint a house in 4 hours, and John can paint the same house in 6 hour, how long will it take for both of them to paint the house together?

....here is what I have so far,,, It seems the time to complete the project together would be less than the 4 hours Sally needs, since John is contributing although at a slower pace, but what is the actual formula to work out a solution? At first I thought maybe combining the 4 and 6 hours to come up with an average, but that's more than Sally takes alone, and therefore can not be right. I am soo confused.

Help

Find the common denominator, add, flip and divide.

1/4+1/6

=3/12+2/12

=5/12

12/5=2.4 hours

Great info! Thanks

Im not sure if this has been addressed....but I can't seem to get a hold of anyone from schoolwho knows. I have seen statistics as prereq on some programs...i have taken all calculus + linear alg+ differential equations because of my chem engineering degree. Is the statistics a MUST have? I would guess this is a lower level math, but people i've talked to make it seem that this math is more specific on the health professionals so i still must take it. Anyone please clear this up for me. Appreciate it :)

Im not sure if this has been addressed....but I can't seem to get a hold of anyone from school who knows. I have seen statistics as prereq on some programs...I have taken all calculus + linear alg+ differential equations because of my chem engineering degree. Is the statistics a MUST have? I would guess this is a lower level math, but people I've talked to make it seem that this math is more specific on the health professionals so I still must take it. Anyone please clear this up for me. Appreciate it :)

As a prereq for my nursing program I had to take either College Algebra or Probability and Statistics, which was considered a higher level math...does your catalog lay out your nursing curriculum for you? Individual programs may differ on this, I did take P&S and I found it easier for me, but nursing math is based, I have found, on Ratio and Proportion or Dimensional analysis, which I believe is Algebra and Chemistry based math. I just followed my catalog all the way through and asked an advisor about anything general, like which Philosophy classes count toward that needed credit? Do you have an college advisor? Are they a nursing instructor? If not you can call the office and ask to speak to one that is in the nursing office about specific questions on prereqs for the nursing program...hope this helps!

Hey all! I am brand new to this thread.

So I was browsing on here to learn a little more about the profession and I came across this problem. Though it was answered, allow me to just show a different way, algebraically to solve the following problem.

If Sally can paint a house in 4 hours, and John can paint the same house in 6 hour, how long will it take for both of them to paint the house together?

This was given earlier as a solution.

Find the common denominator, add, flip and divide.

1/4+1/6

=3/12+2/12

=5/12

12/5=2.4 hours

One convincing way to solve it is as follows:

Let x = number of hours it takes 2 people to paint the house. It is a ratio problem.

1 person / 4 hrs + 1 person / 6 hrs = 2 people / x hours

Common denominator is 24.

Cross multiply and you get: 6x + 4x = 24 (x cancels on this side)

Combine like terms: 10x = 24

Solve for x: x = 2.4 hrs

I hope this also makes sense.

Good luck on your nursing applications!

Hello! I hope I am posting this question in the right area:

I'm working on a math sheet to challenge a nursing calculation course at my college. I answered most of the questions okay, but there were a few I'm confused about:

1. Calculate the drip rate for 500 cc of IV fluid to be given by microdrip over an 8 hour period.

Wouldn't that be 63ml/hr? My answer key said 63gtt/min (I thought it would be ml/hr, not gtt/min). But in order to get the gtt/min, wouldn't I need to know the IV set first?

2. At 8am, an IV is infusing 35gtt/min and there is 750 LIB. DF 12. What time will the IV finish?

Not sure how to set this one up. Also, I've never seen the abbreviation LIB before. Is it suppose to be AD LIB?

3. A patient is to receive a 40% solution of Osmolyte-HN by PEG tube. How many mL of water must be added to a 6oz can of Osmolyte-HN to administer this feeding?

Also unsure how to set this one up

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

Hello! I hope I am posting this question in the right area:

I'm working on a math sheet to challenge a nursing calculation course at my college. I answered most of the questions okay, but there were a few I'm confused about:

1. Calculate the drip rate for 500 cc of IV fluid to be given by microdrip over an 8 hour period.

Wouldn't that be 63ml/hr? My answer key said 63gtt/min (I thought it would be ml/hr, not gtt/min). But in order to get the gtt/min, wouldn't I need to know the IV set first?

2. At 8am, an IV is infusing 35gtt/min and there is 750 LIB. DF 12. What time will the IV finish?

Not sure how to set this one up. Also, I've never seen the abbreviation LIB before. Is it suppose to be AD LIB?

3. A patient is to receive a 40% solution of Osmolyte-HN by PEG tube. How many mL of water must be added to a 6oz can of Osmolyte-HN to administer this feeding?

Also unsure how to set this one up

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

1. Microdrip is 60 gtt/ml

2. LIB is left in bag. So the question is asking how long will it take for 750 ml to be done when there is a drip factor of 35 gtt/ml

3. Im not sure. This is how I would set it up. Your patient cannot tolerate full strength feedings so its 40 percent. You are giving 6 oz of feeding.

x= total amount of feeding

6 oz = .40 (x)

x=15

15 (total amount for feeding) - 6 oz ( amount of tube feed)= 9 oz of water