Well, I'd have to agree. I don't like the word Maths, but I dislike the word numeracy even more. It doesn't appear in many dictionaries, and the computer likes to underline it in red. Instead of Maths, or Calculating (which comes from Calculus) think of it as 'figuring something out'. Don't dignify it with a fancy term. Control it; don't let it boss you around.
Sure, I was always good at numbers. In high school I once scored the top mark out of 300 students, but that doesn't mean that I like the subject. I think Maths is largely irrelevant (listen to this TED talk on the subject). I think that it's taught by the wrong people. And, in my opinion, it focuses on the wrong skills. I guess that this makes me a bit of a heretic.
Maths is hard for many people. About 85% of the people to start a course at Otago Polytechnic don't know how to multiply two fractions together, so if you can't either then that puts you in good company. However, I could show you how to do it in 2 seconds flat. The problem is, unless you want to remember how to do it, and unless you need to, you'll forget it just as quickly. Don't worry. I assure you that this is absolutely normal.
We live in an information overload age. We resist having to learn something until we absolutely have to. That's sensible. Why clog up your brain with useless skills and techniques? But say that now you want to be a nurse, and there's no longer any escape. What do you do? Well, you could come to me . . . except I live in Japan. You'll just have to contact me online (though I aim to get some resources up that you'll be able to access on your own first).
This might get me into trouble, but I'm going to say it anyway (if you can't say what you like at the ago of 54, then you never will!) The people who are taking your course may not be the best people to teach drug calculations. The reason is that they are professionals in their field, which is nursing. The Maths side of things is only a small part of Nursing, and may very well have been 'glossed over' by them when they learned it. Even if they managed it well, the teaching of Maths is a highly specialized field. So okay, maybe they have brought in the top guns in Maths to do the dirty work. Well, that's often the wrong move too. Those people will have Maths skills, but maybe not people skills. And if they do have people skills, then in other ways they may still often be nerds. I don't mean to belittle them, but to them Maths is an interesting subject. It's divorced from real life. Their idea of treating you nicely is to give you a tough problem that you will sweat over. That's what they enjoy, and they think that their students will too. They worry about boring you with a series of problems that you can do easily, yet this is just what you need!
Over the years I've seen hundreds of students with a Maths hang-up. This is not unusual. Maths, more than any other subject, is something that builds on itself. If you fail to understand something at any stage over the years, then you'll be stuck there and won't be able to advance. It's not like, say history. If you fail China, it doesn't stop you from passing Afghanistan. Anyway, the people who walk in my door are fed up. Someone, somewhere along the line failed them in Maths. They are 99% sure that they are not going to 'get it' no matter what, and I know that if I stumble in my explanations even once that they're are going to think, "See, Maths is so hard that even the Learning Centre guy is having trouble. I'd better give up Nursing and think about Vet Nursing or Occupational Therapy." The trouble is, those subjects require Drug Calcs too. Bummer!
I don't believe in any organised religion, but I do believe that anyone of you has the ability to handle the little bit of Arithmetic (another fancy word) involved to work out drug calcs. How do I know that? Well, those of you that cook can certainly follow a recipe. Drug calcs are no more complicated than that. And those of you that don't cook speak at least one language. Using a language requires tons more brain power than doing a little figuring out. You don't think about tenses, clauses, plurals etc when you speak. Pronouns don't faze you. Uncountable nouns don't knock you for six. You don't care if the subjects of your sentences are abstract or real. I don't care if you don't 'know' grammar, you can speak your mother tongue without a hiccup (unless you have them). So don't tell me that you can't handle a number or two.
What's my approach? Well, generally I try to keep Maths out of it as much as I can. I see where you are at in terms of understanding what is going on in the drug-giving situation. (Can you visualize the tablets, needle and vials? Can you picture the drip that's attached to someone's arm?) After that, I just ask a leading question or two. You'll be there in a jiffy, and without relying on fancy equations that you don't understand. Trust me, I'll get you to repeat the problem with different amounts and concentrations. Once you've done it ten times, you'll be an expert. I guarantee it
