Nurses use math daily.
Math is not a subject most would associate with nursing. However, nurses employ math skills every day they are on the job. Each time a nurse administers medication, calculates a patient's height or weight or stocks her cart with supplies, she must utilize math.
Drug Calculations
Nurses who work in hospitals must ensure that the proper doses of medications are administered to their patients. The doctor's order will commonly call for a dosage of medication that the hospital's pharmacy does not carry. For example, a doctor may order 150mg of a medication that is manufactured only in 100mg tablets or 300mg scored tablets. If the hospital's pharmacy only carries 100mg tablets of the prescribed medication, the nurse must calculate how many tablets should be administered to the patient.
Additionally, nurses must calculate drip rates when hanging IVs. For example, if the physician orders 1000mg of a medication that has 10mg in each milliliter, the nurse must calculate how many drops per minute should be administered to the patient through the IV.
Patient Height and Weight
Nurses must measure patients' heights and weights. Though the measuring process is typically simple and involves only elementary math skills, some health care facilities require nurses to convert a weight in pounds to kilograms and a height in inches to centimeters for the patient's chart.
Inventory
Regardless of the facility nurses choose to work in, all nurses must manage inventory of some type. Hospital floor nurses who are responsible for primary patient care also manage the inventory of their patients' medications. Operating room nurses are responsible for inventory of operating room supplies, and wound care nurses are responsible for inventory of wound care supplies. The math required in these circumstances is similar to that of basic accounting.
Tags: medication that, must calculate, nurses responsible, 100mg tablets, administered patient