I need to learn math!

[I love ems]

I am embarrassed to even ask this but I am horrible at even basic math. I want to become an AEMT but am worried that the math will be to much for me. Any advise?

 

[Carlos Danger]

Khan Academy

 

[I love ems]

Thanks, I will check it out

 

[mycrofft]

PLus look at a textbook (buy a use one cheap online) and see what math they require, then practice that.

I'm horrible with math, but once I learned about IV's and related material I was able to logically figure it out USING math, not USING MATH to figure it out. Make sense?

A mentor would help. Maybe. Choose wisely.

 

[joshrunkle35]

Community college. No joke. I'm awful at math and I hate it, but I'm in my third math class, about to start trigonometry, and I'm getting "A"s. Community college is often made up from teachers at bigger universities and it's usually really cheap.

 

[I love ems]

Thanks for the advise, I feel better now knowing that others struggle with math too. I will take your advise to heart I like the mentor idea

 

[MMiz]

I found that some of my best teachers were at the local community college. They seem more invested in making sure students actually understood and mastered the material.

If you go the community college route, I'd suggest looking up any professors on http://www.ratemyprofessor.com or similar sites before signing up for classes.

Good luck!

 

[Carlos Danger]

You might be overestimating the amount of math you need to know for this field. It's actually pretty minimal. I'm not saying don't bother improving your math skills, just saying don't stress too much about it. You probably won't be using anything past basic arithmetic and perhaps a little easy algebra.

I found that some of my best teachers were at the local community college. They seem more invested in making sure students actually understood and mastered the material.

I agree with that 100%.

If you go the community college route, I'd suggest looking up any professors on http://www.ratemyprofessor.com or similar sites before signing up for classes.

Good luck!

I'd be careful with that, though.....it's definitely not an unbiased source of info. I mean if someone has hundreds of negative comments and they are consistent, then yeah that might be a clue to choose another prof. But I think in general those feedback sites tend to skew negative because people who don't like someone are generally much more likely to take the time to post about them, then people who are satisfied.

 

[Akulahawk]

Honestly, if you can figure out how to do ratio & proportion equations (really easy once you understand the setup) or you figure out how to do dimensional analysis (same thing), med math is very easy to deal with. Seriously. Once you've settled on a method, the rest is just simply remembering the conversions and knowing how to apply them to the method you chose.

 

[WTEngel]

Math is one of those things that everyone just has to figure out how their mind wraps around it. I am pretty good at math, but really stick to a certain method (dimensional analysis) when figuring meds and labs and the like. Give me a formula and I am useless...

Some people prefer using a formula, and in no uncertain terms get nauseous just thinking about dimensional analysis.

The only way to figure out what works for you is to practice a lot. Khan Academy is a great resource. Also being determined enough to not give up when you're frustrated. I have seen more than a few grown men on the verge of emotional breakdowns while teaching the med math unit during paramedic school.

Also, be leery of people who want to show you all the "tricks". Tricks and shortcuts are not always bad, but using them without a basic understanding of the fundamentals may leave you stranded one day at 3 in the morning when it really matters.

That's just my $.02 on the matter...

 

[unleashedfury]

Math is one of those things that everyone just has to figure out how their mind wraps around it. I am pretty good at math, but really stick to a certain method (dimensional analysis) when figuring meds and labs and the like. Give me a formula and I am useless...

Some people prefer using a formula, and in no uncertain terms get nauseous just thinking about dimensional analysis.

The only way to figure out what works for you is to practice a lot. Khan Academy is a great resource. Also being determined enough to not give up when you're frustrated. I have seen more than a few grown men on the verge of emotional breakdowns while teaching the med math unit during paramedic school.

Also, be leery of people who want to show you all the "tricks". Tricks and shortcuts are not always bad, but using them without a basic understanding of the fundamentals may leave you stranded one day at 3 in the morning when it really matters.

That's just my $.02 on the matter...

100% True I've seen people fail out of medic school over Med Math.

My suggestion to add to all the suggestions that were posted above that are excellent..

If you have a iPhone, iPad, or a android phone... There is plenty off apps that will give you a strong fundamental base of mathematics. and you can do it privately at work, home on the can etc...

 

[mycrofft]

Oh, Wait! I thought you said "Meth"...

 

[jjones]

Dosage Calculations

In nursing school we had to purchase "dosage calculation" textbooks. You could prob search for one on amazon. I know it helped me a lot in school..

 

[I love ems]

Thanks for all the input, I feel better about math already! I honestly did not expect this much of a response! Thanks again!