Monday, April 13, 2009

Basic Math Skills In Nursing

Basic math skills are needed in many job fields, including nursing. A nurse needs to have an understanding of basic math skills to provide for a patient's needs.


Significance


It is important for a nurse to have an understanding of basic math skills because these skills are crucial to a patient's life. If a patient were given the wrong dosage of a medication or received the medicine at the wrong time, the error could be fatal.


Types


The types of basic math skills nurses use include addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.


Function


Nurses use basic math skills on the job throughout the day, whether they are recording a patient's intake and outtake on a fluid balance chart or determining how much medicine a person should receive based on his weight.


Misconceptions


Many people are intimidated by a career in nursing because they think the math will be too hard. However, nurses mostly use basic math skills on the job.


Fun Fact


Nurses must pass the NCLEX exam to obtain a nursing license. Some of the questions require knowledge of basic math skills to be answered.







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