chbare Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Did you really have to attend college to learn algebra for drug calculations? I had to learn that much algebra and more to finish high school. Are these differences between the US and Canadian public education systems or are they differences of generation? I can't really say but I must admit I'm curious. :laughing3: ROTFLMAO Do a quick Google search on US public education and perhaps "no child left behind." I think you will better appreciate the quality of public education in the United States. Take care, chbare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ERDoc Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 No child left behind. There was a genius of a program. What an insult this has been to education. My son got 50 points on his math test just for writing his name on the paper. This was in 6th grade by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Any good g-chem or basic physics course should introduce its students to dimensional analysis, which is essentially all drug calculations are. Um, you're missing a unit there buddy. Not my site, just one of the many bookmarked during school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPINFV Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Sorry, I wasn't trying to give the impression that it was your site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 No child left behind. There was a genius of a program. What an insult this has been to education. My son got 50 points on his math test just for writing his name on the paper. This was in 6th grade by the way. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I was in high school I had a high enough avg I did not need to take the final exam to pass. I turned it in with just my name. The teacher asked me out to the hall. Busted my butt with the board. Handed me my exam, told me sit down and do it. He told me he had spoken with my dad and they agreed that if I did not score at least a 90 on the exam I could come back next year and retake the whole class again since I liked it so much. I scored over 90, thankfully. School sounds easy now days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Sorry, I wasn't trying to give the impression that it was your site. No problem . But guess I need to post disclaimers that I can not guarantee results or the accuracy of the material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Did you really have to attend college to learn algebra for drug calculations? I had to learn that much algebra and more to finish high school. Are these differences between the US and Canadian public education systems or are they differences of generation? I can't really say but I must admit I'm curious. You forget that I finished high school a couple of years before algebra, radio, and the internal combustion engine were discovered. So no, I did not learn it in high school. For that matter, I didn't learn it in college either, as I never took algebra in college. I just figured it out on my own out of necessity. That's why formulas don't work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rock_shoes Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 No child left behind strikes again! :shock: Wow am I glad we let the kids who aren't willing to put the work in fall behind here. Anyone who isn't classed as mentally handicapped can get through basic algebra if they put the work in. Kudos to you for going out and getting the knowledge on your own Dust. I agree with you that the little drug formulae are junk when some simple math is so much more accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandaorton Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 so maybe after reading some of your replies, i should say this yes i have take algebra however i am getting confused with the formulas, when to use what, but after sitting down for two hours last night doing nothing but drug calculations i think that i have found my own way of calculating drugs. i just hope that it will be acceptable for the instructor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Excellent. When you work something out on your own, it sticks with you. When you just take a formula, that nobody can even explain why it works, and use it with blind trust, you're stuck with something you don't understand, which results in low retention, low trust, and frankly, confusion. If you have an elementary understanding of algebra already, then forget mg/kg/gtt/etc... and just solve for X. Do that on an entire assignment. Then compare the results with a partner who worked them out through the formulas. You will see minor variations between your answers, but not huge. And the formula answers are the ones that are mathematically incorrect. I actually went a similar but different route. I had very little understanding of algebra, as taught in high school. But I had a good understanding of simple math and logic. I was painfully inadequate at solving for X in algebraic equations. I figured I had a complete math block, because I had never been any good at it. But give me the same problem in medical terms, and suddenly it made sense and came easy to me. Turns out that I understood algebra after all. My mind simply required a "reason" to work the problems out. My mind sees no valid purpose for finding the pointless value of X, but it does see a need to determine important things like drug dosages. Sometimes it's all about motivation and presentation. Now I'm the one that all the nurses who made straight A's through high school and college math come to for drug calcs, yet I never did better than a C in high school dummy math. If the formulas aren't working for you, then you just have to find out what system and motivation does work for you. There is more than one way to skin this cat, and you can do it. Sounds like you're on your way to getting it done. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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