Nurses require more than just attention to detail and a caring bedside manner. The nursing profession also requires knowledge of mathematics. Knowing formulas and simple calculations allows a nurse to effectively perform their duties from patient care to aiding doctors.
Medication
Administering medications requires math to calculate correct dosage such as pill size and intravenous fluid amounts.
Data
The recording of information such as fluid intake and output, times when medication is given and checking vital signs all require math.
Equipment
Nurses use devices that are both electronic (such as an ECG machine) and analog (such as thermometers and blood pressure cuffs). Simple math is required to achieve accurate results.
Specialties
While working in the prenatal discipline, nurses need to know calculate date of fertilization, expected delivery date and ovulation periods.
Laboratory
Interpreting lab results such as white blood cell levels involves simple arithmetic, as well as the possibility of converting units for the benefit of doctors and patients.
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