Want to be a nursing student, but too dumb at maths!!

verene, MSN · Aug 17, 2016

I struggled with math all through out school. When I first went to take my pre-reqs and took a math placement exam I scored very low on the math section. If I went through all the math courses I'd need in order to eventually take stats I would have spent over a year taking math classes, both a large investment of time and money. I ended up using Khan Academy which is a free online learning resource to teach myself math. I started at pre-k level to review and worked my way forward through algebra and geometry. When I retook a the math placement exam a few months later I placed into pre-calc! Even more important to me - for the first time in my life math actually made some sense to me. It turns out having a strong basic foundation makes a huge difference to understanding, and I never got that foundation in elementary school.

Having the boosted confidence helped me when I took math for my pre-reqs, I finally knew enough to be able to ask articulate questions of the instructor and actually understand the responses I got. I continued using Khan Academy as a resource when I stumbled over topics in class as well. I ended up with a 3.8 in Stats - first A ever in a math class!

Now in nursing school the most complicated math I've used is fairly basic - if you can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and set up and solve simple ratios you will likely be fine.

OliveOyl91, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2016

Are you enrolled in school? Many schools offer so-called "math boot camps" between quarters to help boost your memory and there are often free math tutors on campus. I started out at the very bottom of the math barrel, as well. The teachers and tutors at my school are amazing and I'm now finishing up my final quarter of math (statistics) with an A. It's all about building a foundation. I have also used Khan Academy and highly recommend it for not only math, but other subjects like chemistry and biology.

rock hopper · Aug 17, 2016

I struggled in math too..in high school AND early college..most of it was my ADHD and just hating the subject. Now that i'm a little older, I have grown to appreciate the subject and become fascinated with it and its endless applications in every field. I too have taken the "DS" courses. DS 090 shouldn't have been as hard as I made it, haha.

That being said, and I can't speak for the math IN nursing school...but to apply, most ADN/BSN programs seem to require very little math. You'd have to show that you've done SOME math, but usually it's an introductory Pre-Calculus Algebra youd have to take along with a statistics course which is more word problems and identifying trends on a graph, etc. Both subjects really aren't too difficult if you've got a patient instructor who will take the time to explain them to you in detail.

I think if you were able to study some basic math (algebra, trigonometry, stats) etc. for several months and took a placement test, you should be able to get into the class you need to be in to apply. Khan Academy is an A++++ resource!

amok · Aug 17, 2016

I'll chime in to say I also was a really weak math student before college, too. I tested into a remedial course and have worked my way up a class at a time to the last one I have to take for my program this semester. I felt like I was starting over since I had essentially "faked" it through so much math in grade school, it was seriously daunting. I know you're not looking for a "go get 'em!" but what helped me was thinking about how nobody is necessarily inherently "terrible" at math. It's a skill like any other, it can take more work for some of us than others but try to think of it as learning to, say, play soccer. Nobody's automatically good at it, jut learn a skill at a time and you can get there. I found the material actually getting almost easier in some ways as I went as I started understanding the fundamentals, which makes it seem less like an entirely different language.

I'd certainly second the above poster, try something like Khan academy, don't be embarrassed to start at the beginning, and evaluate if you're making progress. I'm still a little insecure about math, but exposure makes it less spooky. You're not dumb or helpless, you can take it a step at a time.

lunanarya, BSN, RN · Aug 17, 2016

Don't sell yourself short on this math thing! Trust me!

I'm 34, and start clinicals next week (yay!!) It took me about 2 years to complete my pre-requisites, as I worked full time and took classes part time. And I took not 1, not 2, but FOUR math classes.

When I first went back to school for pre-reqs, I had to take a placement test as I'd been out of school for some time. I did poorly on the math portion, but did very well on the English and reading bits. I got right into College English, but had to start with Pre-Algebra (the lowest level math class offered.) College Algebra is the math requirement for my program. I never thought I was good at math, but after taking all of these course (which is all history now- I'll never have to take math again- I hope!), I realize that I'm actually rather proficient at it, but just plain don't like it. If there are other subjects that you're required to take for your pre-reqs and there's one you particularly think you would excel at, try pairing those classes together if you can. It was actually a great relief to blow through my English assignments, and be able to concentrate on math homework.

The Khan Academy videos are great, and one of my instructors referred to Purple Math a lot as well; that was a very handy website. Good luck:cat:

Edit: To the OP, after reading the response from the first poster (which, I have to commend them - that's quite a feat, I was faced with the same option but elected to take the classes through my college), they have a great point. A lot of colleges (and you will want to check with the one you are interested in specifically to see what their policies are) will allow you to take a placement test more than once if you do poorly in an area to give you time to review and get a better score. In the end, it's entirely up to you but a great (and possibly time and money saving) option.

Jessica1019 · Aug 18, 2016

Math was always my weakness. I was terrified when I started college again because I had already failed my remedial math twice at a previous university. I was so scared because it was the only thing standing in my way.

Im not sure what changed, but my professor was amazing & she taught it how she learned it. I took remedial math & then an accelarated math that did the last remedial I needed plus college math & passed both. I didn't think it was so much 'hard' as it was tedious.

The only advice I can give you is what I tried myself & that was practice practice practice. I did all of the homework & before the tests I would print out the study guides & work them 4 or 5 times until I felt comfortable enough with it.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Aug 18, 2016

The maths required for nursing are rudimentary and can be self-taught, if necessary, though are much more easily learned under the guidance of a tutor.

The specific topics to cover are the fundamentals of proportions, ratios, rates, and units of measure. It really isn't much more than that.

mellowdude · Aug 23, 2016

If Math could embody a human form, Math would be the obnoxious, drunk person that nobody really likes.

Know your med math like the back of your hand. The good thing is med math becomes easy with practice.

Hang in there kiddo!

NerdyKnitter, CNA · Aug 23, 2016

I never made is past pre-algebra in school. I dropped out at 14. When I went to college I started in remedial math and had to take 5 math classes before I made it to any class that counted toward a college degree! But, I was motivated and did well in my classes. Last term I got a 4.0 in general chemistry. The actual math in the pre-requisite sciences is not very hard at all. But you do need a base knowledge of math to do well in them. I believe ANYONE (despite someone who has a true cognitive deficit) can do plenty well in math to earn their college degree. Some of us may not want to do enough math to earn an engineering degree, but there really isn't that much math for nursing.

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Aug 23, 2016

I was 46 when I finally passed College Algebra. I had to take a remedial course that was one level beneath the actual college level course. But I managed to pass the actual course by getting up at 0530a.m. on my days off and working out problem after problem until 8p.m. that night. Since it was an online algebra course, I was able to pass the course in 2 weeks time. That was a lot of hard, quick-fast, and dedicated effort which is what I needed in order to pass. Prior to then, I dropped algebra and A&P each and every time I attempted those courses. Online was better for me because I needed more study/preparation time per day than what was allowed in a physical classroom. With anything in the area of science and math, the only grade I could master in an hour and fifteen minutes was an F. But doing it on my own time, though shorter by calendar days, I managed to get a B in each of those courses.:)

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Aug 23, 2016

Math was my weakness, too. I'm actually really good at it - but it took the right teacher to show me that.

I took remedial classes - but I did the flex courses, so I could fit two remedial classes into a semester. That made it pass more quickly!

Best of luck to you!