Some students have more difficulty with math than any other part of nursing school. Math obviously cannot be studied the same way as most nursing topics. The way to learn math is to start small and build gradually on your knowledge, with plenty of practice along the way. You began the process in elementary school and continued it in high school and college. If you have kept up with every step along the way, you are probably good at math. If you got stuck at some point between then and now, you may be having difficulties.
Nursing math problems are based on real life, so they are word problems. Some purposely provide unnecessary numbers and data that are not needed in your calculations, so beware. Read the questions carefully to pick out what information is needed and what is not. Some might not even require a calculation. (For example, if the doctor’s order says to infuse a solution at 60 cc/hr, there are 100 cc in the bag, and you are to give it every 6 hours, how fast should you set the pump? The answer is 60 cc/hr, and no calculation was required! But the extra facts will throw some students off.)
The first step you can take toward successfully performing nursing math is to memorize all the conversion factors your instructors give you. If you don’t know how many milliliters are in an ounce or a liter, you may not get the problem right no matter how good a mathematician you are!
If you have trouble with math, your nursing program may hold tutoring sessions to help you. Attend them, and don’t forget to practice at home! The more problems you do, the better you will get. There is no easy substitute for practice where math is concerned. With each problem, write down exactly what the question is asking for and what data is given. Cross out any extraneous information. When you work several problems of a certain kind, patterns will begin to emerge.
Should your math troubles persist, ask your instructor for more practice problems. You can also get help online or seek a personal tutor. You may feel somewhat reassured to know that a nurse is rarely called upon to do all her own complicated calculations while working at a hospital. (Calculations are usually provided by the pharmacy or checked with another nurse.) However, you are the person who ultimately administers the medicine, and giving the appropriate dosage is a critical and serious responsibility.