Can you explain what you do for a living?

I work with undergraduate students, mostly freshmen and sophomores, to help them navigate the world of higher education. My primary task is to help students choose and register for classes each semester, but because our office focuses on Alaska Native and rural Alaskan students, we provide what we call comprehensive advising. This means that we help students with financial aid, including completing the FAFSA and applying for scholarships; deciding on housing and dining options; assisting with career development, including resume writing, applying for jobs, and long-term planning; and social and personal support as well.

When do you use basic math in your job?

The primary area in which we use math is financial aid. Federal and institutional requirements for financial aid eligibility include the GPA (grade point average) and a completion rate. We help students calculate their future (or potential) GPA as well as their completion rates. This primarily involves finding an average (GPA) and a percentage (completion rate). In addition, we use very basic math (addition and subtraction) to help students determine how much they owe the university and how much payment plan payments will be (balance due divided by the number of payments). When we talk with other university departments, we are sometimes asked for simple statistics, such as the persistence rate of our students or number of graduates. Sometimes we receive that information from our department of Institutional Research, but other times we gather the data ourselves.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

I almost always use a calculator for computing GPA and completion rate as well as determining payments or balance due. This is because I want to be completely accurate when giving information to a student. In addition, I use the calculator on my computer and show the student as I do it so they can see how I reach the figure I share with them. Some GPA calculations are complicated, such as when a student is repeating a class and the new grade will replace the old one in the GPA calculation. For this and a few other instances, our university provides an online tool to determine GPA, and I do use this tool as well.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Our office takes pride in the fact that we make every effort to answer as many of a student’s questions as possible without sending them to multiple departments. Because I have the tools to calculate GPA and completion rate, I can help a student right in my office rather than sending them off to the financial aid office. And because I understand how these numbers are calculated, I can do a better job of explaining to students what they need to do next and how long it will take them to meet the standards set by the university or their own goals.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you?

I’m not entirely comfortable with math, but averages and percentages are calculations I’ve worked with before. My previous job included teaching GED preparation to adult students, including math, and that experience increased both my math skills and my math confidence. I am very thankful, though, to have calculators and online tools to assist me, and I do sometimes check will colleagues to determine the accuracy of the math I’ve done. I never help students with math homework or taxes, even if they beg!

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I went to a VERY small high school that offered very little math. I was part of a group of 3-5 students who were on the college prep math track, and we took Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, with Geometry and Algebra II being nearly independent study (the teacher was in another room teaching a larger group and checked in on us 2-3 times per class). I enjoyed Algebra and really disliked Geometry.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

Averages and percentages are pretty commonly used in life. Like I said, my previous experience teaching GED math helped a lot, and I didn’t need a lot of review to pick up what I need for my current position. There is a learning curve with GPA calculation, especially when dealing with special cases and predictions based on multiple possible outcomes, but I do think high school Algebra would probably be enough for anyone attempting to do the math I am required to do.

Anything else you want to mention?

When we talk to high school students who are planning to attend college, we always encourage them to take as much math as they can while in high school, and to not take long breaks between math classes. The more you use math, the less you lose it!

Interested in learning more about Colleen’s work? Ask your questions in the comments section.

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Can you explain what you do for a living?

During my career, I’ve worked for restaurants, retail bakeries, country clubs, and even grocery stores. I make bread and pastries, usually from scratch, decorating cakes and cookies, as well as making candy.

When do you use basic math in your job?

The math I use ranges from the very basic: using measurements like volume, weight, time and temperature, to more common: figuring out food costs in order to determine appropriate price points, scaling recipes, converting measurements when making substitutions, and determining how much of each item needs to be produced in order to meet demand.

Most professional pastry recipes are written by measuring ingredients by weight instead of by volume in order to make scaling more foolproof. For example, if you ask ten different people to measure 1-3/4 cup of flour, you will likely get ten different actual amounts of flour, due to the amount of air left in the measuring cups they used. Depending on whether someone packs the flour or scoops or pours into the cup, each of these results in slightly different amounts of flour. When you work on a small scale, as a home baker does, these differences might not be significant enough to notice. But when instead of making 2 dozen cookies, you’re making 40 dozen, suddenly that discrepancy can make a big difference in the consistency of the finished product. So instead of measuring by volume, we measure by weight. 12 ounces of flour is much easier to multiply by 20 on the fly than 1 3/4 cups!

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

Calculators may be found in some kitchens, but it’s not common, due to the difficulty of keeping them free of contamination while working with food, and it’s difficult to wash a calculator or sanitize it thoroughly once it’s become dirty. We use tools like thermometers and scales for our measurements, though, and it’s very important to keep those tools properly calibrated. Often times, as ovens and other cooking equipment get older, their temperature calibrations may be off, and you need to make adjustments to time or temperature settings to offset the difference. Similarly, a mis-calibrated thermometer can ruin recipes using yeast, chocolate or boiled sugar as all of these behave differently at different temperatures. If a thermometer is off by even just a single degree, it can result in chocolate candies that won’t harden properly.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Math equals accuracy! In the food business, food costs can be the difference between a thriving business and bankruptcy. Always knowing how much it costs to produce a finished product based on the cost of the ingredients you use is necessary to make sure that the business is charging the correct price for that product. And proper measurements, including properly scaled recipes when increasing/decreasing batches, means less waste. I’ve seen enormous amounts of food go to waste because someone couldn’t bother to figure out how many trays of cookies they’ll need to fill an order properly!

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you?

I’m very comfortable with “everyday” math. When it’s used in practical applications, it’s easy for me to grasp. Theoretical math is a whole different story!

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I took an Algebra and a Geometry course in high school, and I barely passed. I was horrible at it and found it very difficult to see the usefulness of it at the time. It wasn’t until I was in college that I gained an appreciation for it.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

Luckily for me, my culinary degree included a math course designed specifically for foodservice. It focused on the types of tasks we see most often: scaling recipes (taking a recipe written for 2 dozen cookies and changing it to make 10 dozen, or one for 4 pies into one for just one pie), substitutions and conversions of recipe ingredients or measurements, calculating food costs, calculating supplies based on final production target, etc.
I’m pretty sure I’d have figured all of these things out on my own eventually but having the class helped and made it easier.

Anything else you want to mention?

I heard the jokes about pastry chefs a lot in culinary school, and I’ve found it to be true in the real world as well: there is an enormous personality difference between pastry chefs and the standard “culinary” chef. A chef making a soup or pasta dish, for example, can change his mind halfway through the cooking process and add ingredients, or change cooking methods (assuming the chef is skilled enough). Pastry does not work that way. Pastry chefs tend to be quite a bit more scientific and calculating because our products must be perfect before the baking process begins, or it will be ruined. A chef is able to taste his soup and add salt, but if my pie crust needs salt, I have to start over! This difference in styles means different personality types are definitely drawn to one specialty over the other.

If you want to be like Amy, buy the book that will help you with cooking math here. In the meantime, go bake a cake… with correct measurements, of course.

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Can you explain what you do for a living? 

I work as a quality control specialist for American Honda Motor Company, correcting supplier and packager errors. A supplier error results when we receive a notification from a supplier or dealer that a car parthas been mis-manufactured, meaning it wasn’t produced to Honda specifications, or that their is an error in the part’s packaging. My job is to investigate problems stated by dealer analysts and report my findings to them. I also give the recommendation for how to handle the mis-manufactured parts and packaging errors.

When do you use basic math in your job?

I use math when creating end-of-month reports using Excel. I also have to measure parts when investigating the claims. I compare the part to the manufacturer’s drawing detail by detail. I need to know how to find diameters and measure in millimeters as well as use calipers. At times I have to convert mm into inches.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?  Why or why not?

I use Excel, calculators, and of course, a computer. I use a multiplication formula on my computer to do conversions.

How do you think math helps you do your job better? 

Math helps me ensure that parts are acceptable. If I didn’t have basic math skills, I wouldn’t know how to read the manufacturer’s drawing and compare it to the actual measurements of the part.

How comfortable with math do you feel?  Does this math feel different to you? 

I feel comfortable with basic math like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. I’m not comfortable using algebra or more advanced math. Math doesn’t make me nervous at work or anything.

What kind of math did you take in high school?  Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

In high school, I pretty much took basic math classes. During junior and senior year, I went to a trade school (Miami Valley Career Technology Center) where my math correlated with my trade which was engine rebuilding and machining. I can’t say that I liked math, but I did feel that I was competent in it.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

I already knew how to do the math that I use at work.  Going to the trade school helped me learn how to use the tools that I use in my current position.

Anything else you want to mention?

Even though math may not be the most enjoyable subject, it is important to pay attention and understand the basics of math in order to further your skills as an adult and have a career.

Photo Credit: NiePhotography via Compfight cc

Interested in finding out more about this type of work?  Let me know any questions you have for Matt.

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Can you explain what you do for a living?

I support women who are giving birth and their families as a birth doula. Birth doulas are non-medical support people, hired by families, who provide informational, emotional, and physical support before and during birth. I meet with families before their babies are born to find out what they’re hoping for; I help ease anxieties and point them to resources. Once a woman goes into labor—or thinks she’s in labor—she contacts me. I then join her at her home or at the hospital and stay with her and her partner until a couple hours after the baby comes. That could be a few hours… or a few days. I do everything from reassuring her (and the dad!) that everything is fine to massaging her back to talking her through a particularly painful or challenging moment. I often describe my role as a “professional sister.” I have up-to-date training and come without the “baggage” of a family member, but I bring the same kind of caring and compassion you might expect from a close relative.

When do you use basic math in your job?

Because I’m self-employed, math is part of the equation (pardon the pun) that helps me figure out how to set my rates and how many clients I need to work with to meet my income goals. For example, when recently deciding whether to raise rates, I researched living wages in my area. I then calculated how many births I would need to attend to make a living wage, looked at fees charged by doulas just starting out, and used a multiplier developed by another doula to account for my years of experience. Then there’s all the lovely arithmetic that goes into tax calculations, though I use a tax calculation program for that.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

I don’t know where I’d be without Excel spreadsheets. Since I also serve as the administrator for a small group of doulas (we back each other up), I’m responsible for maintaining a spreadsheet to track all of our clients and tallying up who owes what to whom at the end of each quarter. We serve about fifty couples each year so this can get complicated. Using a spreadsheet is the only way to keep track of everything—not only who owes what but also other information like due dates.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

I absolutely think it helps me do my job better. The hands-on work of being a doula is very intuitive, but the rest is like running any other business. I believe it’s important to be professional which includes creating contracts and invoices for which basic math is certainly required.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you?

I’ve always felt comfortable with math. (My mother was a college professor who taught physics and mathematics.) The math I use now feels somewhat pedestrian—it’s really just glorified arithmetic. What’s interesting to me is using problem-solving concepts to help me figure out big-picture questions (as with the rate-setting example I gave above).

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I have always really enjoyed math. I had an unusual education in that I attended an early college now known as Bard College at Simon’s Rock so I took only algebra in high school. I went on to do some interesting math in college, including systems dynamics, but I didn’t pursue higher level math since I was a creative writing major. I did take statistics for my graduate degree in journalism. I think all citizens should be required to take basic statistics!

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job?

I definitely picked up my spreadsheet skills post-school since nobody was using personal computers when I went to college, but the big-picture thinking and problem-solving skills which I consider to be part of math were definitely something I honed in school and have used ever since.

Anything else you want to mention?

I want to mention another kind of “math” that is related to birth. I think of it as “intuitive math.” It’s what allows me to “feel” whether a woman’s contractions are getting closer together and longer (a sign that labor is progressing). It also allows me to help women through contractions by counting their breaths. Perhaps this doesn’t have much to do with what we typically think of as math, but part of math is all about patterns and cycles—and those are definitely relevant to the process of giving birth.

Intuitive math.  Pretty cool!  I’ve never even thought about that. I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. If you have any questions for Audrey, please let me know.

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Can you explain what you do for a living? (Be specific!)

I write and edit white papers and investment commentary for financial firms. You know how some people have great ideas but lack the time or skill to put them into writing? I interview them—and use their data—to put their ideas into persuasive writing. Some of their data include numbers generated using math.

When do you use basic math in your job? 

I use math when I write investment portfolio performance commentary. If you own a mutual fund, you receive semiannual reports about your fund’s performance. Some of that commentary is based on data called attribution analysis. It identifies which investments contributed to positive returns and which investments detracted. This data is reported in percentages.

Let’s consider an example. A stock fund increased in value by 5% over one year. Where did that come from? How much of that was from specific stocks that the fund manager bought or sold? How much was from overall market growth or the performance of a specific industry? The percentages generated by the attribution analysis software explain which decisions helped and hurt the fund. By looking at lots of these numbers and finding patterns among them, I develop an objective basis to write about why the fund performed as it did.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

I sometimes use Excel spreadsheets to rearrange the attribution numbers to make them easier to analyze. For example, I may sort the list of stocks so that the largest contributor to performance is at the top, followed by other contributors in descending order.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Without math, I wouldn’t have any objective data to inform my understanding of fund performance. With math, I can form and test hypotheses by looking at the data. When I get a chance to interview the fund manager, I can ask questions that test and expand on my hypotheses. The numbers don’t tell the entire story, so it’s important to get input from the professionals who manage a fund.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you? (In other words, is it easier to do this math at work or do you feel relatively comfortable with math all the time?)

I don’t love math, but I like how numbers make my job easier by providing insights. I do what’s necessary to obtain those insights.

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I stopped after algebra and geometry. I did not take calculus, although now I wish that I had forced myself to struggle through it. Math did not come easily to me.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

The skills that I had to learn weren’t mathematical. When I studied to earn my credential as a chartered financial analyst, a credential held by many fund managers, I learned about financial analysis. I also learned about Excel spreadsheets, which help me format the numbers to make them easier to analyze.

Anything else you want to mention?

Don’t underestimate the power of learning to write well about the numbers generated by math. That got me one of my first job offers in college, when my statistics professor asked me to help students in his class. Today, writing about numbers helps me to help my clients communicate better.

It sounds like even if you don’t love math, you can learn to respect it and get along with it like Susan does.  Interested in knowing more?  Let me know, and I will make a connection with Susan for you.

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First on my mind is Mary the Non-Profit Principal. Loved her sense of humor!  She knew how to turn a serious interview about math and work into an entertaining read. She is gifted on so many levels.

Then I am recalling Louisa the Greeting Card Designer.  What a job!  I love the creativity that she unfolds into her designs.  If only some of those vibes were transmitted to me during our interview!

The next one that comes to mind is Andy the Design Director.  I guess I just have a thing for the creative types!  As I recall the math in his job is mostly done by the computer.  Just think of it though… the math that it takes to do graphic design.  The computer makes his job so much faster in so many ways.

What about Shayna the Cook Supervisor… remember her? Talk about crunching some numbers. She has to convert recipes on a daily basis as well as manage the food budget.  Because I love math, that sounds like a mighty fun job! I’m not so sure about the actually cooking part though.  With me at the stove, the food might not be so great!

Finally, I have to include Kathy the Company President who heads up a manufacturing company. As the president, she has a lot of numbers to look over including tolerances on the design prints, payroll, quality scores and much more. I love hearing about the industry that is the heart of so much in our country. I hope she inspires students to pursue STEM occupations. (Um… she’s also mom to Kelly, my virtual assistant, which is pretty darned cool!)

As 2014 draws to a close, I hope you all get some much deserved time off work and begin calculating your goals for next year.  I’m excited about next year’s Math at Work Monday interviews, but for now it feels good to focus on the holidays.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Can you explain what you do for a living?

I work with numerical weather prediction models and satellite data to estimate the energy output of PV (photovoltaic) solar systems. These estimates are used to plan projects ranging in size from home rooftop panels to large plants that cover several square miles. I also develop forecasts used by existing solar plants to predict energy production.

When do you use basic math in your job?

I use statistics when estimating long-term solar energy output. I analyze 15+ years of solar energy data to calculate an average year’s energy output based on the statistical mean. We also factor in year-to-year variability using more advanced statistical methods, such as correlation.

We use simple addition to calculate an annual sum of energy produced. The “annual sum” is a common way to report solar energy output.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

Yes, we use sophisticated computer algorithms to make our calculations. We also use Excel sheetswhen computing annual sums. Because we make hundreds of calculations a year, it wouldn’t be practical to work by hand. Also, using computers significantly reduces the margin for human error. This doesn’t mean we just push a button and get a finished result. We physically review all data and results for consistency and to make sure they’re within expected range. We also write reports interpreting the numerical results.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

I couldn’t imagine doing my job without math. My job is very math-intensive and wouldn’t exist without math. Meteorology, in general, relies heavily on math.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you?

I feel very comfortable with all aspects of math and especially enjoy applied math (as opposed to theoretical). I look forward to the daily challenge of working with solar energy data.

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I took algebra, statistics, geometry, and trigonometry. Yes, I liked all my math classes and felt math was my best area.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

I did not have to learn new skills to do the math I use at work. My college math classes were intense and were enough preparation for the math aspects of my job.

Anything else you want to mention?

Thank you for interviewing me!

Interested in learning more?  Adam has written a blog post for SolarToday magazine.  You can find that here. And you can also see maps of monthly PV energy generation here. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy learning more about these not-so-traditional professions.

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Over the years, I’ve interviewed a variety of different people — from an astronaut to a fish hatchery technician to a glass artist. All jobs are terrific fits — because as we all know, Everyone Does Math.

(Did you catch my Everyone Does Math video? Check it out!)

In fact, the series has been so successful, I’m launching a special printed option for teachers and homeschoolers, including unique student-directed questions. I’ll start with one set of my favorite interviews, which can be downloaded as printable worksheets for use in the classroom or at home. Stay tuned for the details, coming in two weeks!

Now I need your help! I’m looking for new people to interview in the next month. If you or someone you know is up for it, let me know. You can email me at laura@mathforgrownups.com (include their names and email addresses). If you’ve been around for a while, you know that the process is simple. My wonderful assistant, Kelly emails a list of questions — yes, everyone gets the same questions! — you respond to the questions and email them back to Kelly. That’s all. Painless.

So what kind of folks am I looking for? You name it!

• dentist, orthodontist, dental hygienist
• pet groomer, dog walker
• EMT
• chiropractor
• divorce attorney
• security officer, military personnel, state trooper
• archeologist
• chef, pastry chef, caterer, butcher
• makeup artist
• interior designer
• surgical nurse
• prosthetic engineer
• truck driver, tow truck owner
• actuary

But you can probably come up with even more great ideas. If you have suggestions (but don’t have someone to recommend), go ahead and post them in the comments section.

I’m so proud of the Math at Work Monday series, and I thank you for making it so popular and for making it possible. I look forward to receiving your recommendations. Remember, email me with potential interviewee’s names and email addresses at laura@mathforgrownups.com.

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Can you explain what you do for a living? (Be specific!)

I help nonprofit organizations improve their fundraising programs. I focus particularly on annual giving, copywriting and donor communications and improving donor retention.

When do you use basic math in your job? 

Fundraising is a funny combination of art and science. I could write the best appeal in the world, but I couldn’t judge it as such until I saw the results. We need to track donations and donor behavior. There are some measurements used all the time: Total dollars, Average gift, Response rate, Retention rate, for instance. All of those things require some math. Setting up and working with donor databases is another area. Information has to be quantified and categorized in order to be useful. How much to weigh this kind of information against that kind? What’s the hierarchy?

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?  Why or why not?

Oh heavens, yes. I no longer trust my brain to do even simple calculations on the fly. That’s what Excel and calculators are for!

But if you don’t understand what it is you’re looking for, all the machines in the world won’t really help. So I need to have a theoretical grasp before resorting to the calculator to do the arithmetic for me.

How do you think math helps you do your job better? 

Too often, fundraising can be grounded in instinct. That can work if you’ve got very good instincts. And for the people side of fundraising, good personal skills are critical. Can you connect with people? How are your relationship-building skills? That can be very subjective.

But to measure success, it always comes down to the numbers. Did this appeal work? If your board chair loved it, but it raised very little money, then it did not work. Conversely, if it was so corny it made you cringe, but your donors responded well – it worked. It’s not subjective. It’s all about the numbers.

How comfortable with math do you feel?  Does this math feel different to you?  

I’m pretty comfortable with math at work. I’m in my element there. Outside work, I don’t feel quite as adept. I often grab the calculator to tally the checkbook.

What kind of math did you take in high school?  Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

Math was definitely NOT my subject in high school. I believe our course schedule was Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II/Trig and then if you were a glutton for punishment, you could take Calculus senior year.

I was not a glutton for punishment. Geometry wasn’t too bad. The logic was probably verbal enough for me. I still get hives at the thought of trigonometry, however.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pick up using the skills you learned in school?

It’s funny. My first job out of college was so dull. I worked in the import office of a huge retail organization. This English major spent her days hovering over boring import documents and adding long lines of figures. Doing that day in and day out vastly improved my ability to add and subtract in my head. I was also a whiz at using my left hand on the calculator and my right on the phone. Unfortunately, those haven’t been highly sought after skills.

Anything else you want to mention?

Just thank you for the interview. This was fun!

It sounds like Mary sure knows the ropes when it comes to fundraising and math.  She may not have confidence in all areas of math, but she has sure honed the areas she needs to make a large impact in the non-profit world.  Have a question for Mary?  Let me know, and I’ll be glad to get in touch with her again.

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Can you explain what you do for a living?

I work on an inpatient trauma unit. We take care of the patients once they are seen in the ER. The patients either go to the Intensive Care Unit, the Operating Room or come to our floor. We have a variety of patients – from car wrecks, falls, gun shot wounds, stab wounds, motorcycle wrecks, traumatic brain injuries and some very intense medical surgical patients with complex diagnosis. We care for these patients throughout their stay which can be from 1 day to months. We are constantly on the go, getting patients out of bed, doing procedures at the bedside (extensive dressing changes, chest tube insertions, general patient care), occassionally transfering patients to ICU, if they need a higher level of care. We also admit and discharge patients throughout the day. Needless to say, we are busy!

When do you use basic math in your job?

I use math every single day at work. It’s basic math (simple multiplication, division, addition, subtraction), but I have to use it to take care of my patients. Mainly it’s medication related. For example, you’ve got Tylenol 1000 mg ordered, but the patient needs to use a liquid form (650 mg in 20.3 mL) of the medication, you then have to figure out how many milliliters you need to give the correct dose. Once you do the math a couple of times, you remember the mLs that you need. It’s easy to do it that way with a rountine medication, but sometimes we are doing the math extremely fast in an emergent situation (like a chest tube insertion or code situation). We always double check the medication during these times with a second nurse. Another example is when we give pain medication. Say the patient has diluadid ordered our standard protocol is 0.3 mg to 0.9 mg per dose. Using our judgement, we decide on the dose amount. The medication is stock in 2 mg per 1 mL vial. By using basic division I know that the concentration is 0.2 mg per 0.1 mL. I also use it to figure out the drip rate for IV fluids and antibiotics. Ancef is ordered, it comes in a 50 mL bag, it needs to infuse in 20 minutes. Here is the math in my head: 60 minutes (1 hr) divided by 20 is 3. Multiply 3 by 50 (the mLs needed to infuse) and you get 150 ml/hr. Or if we need to bolus some IV fluids, but the doctor wants them over a certain amount of time. Say 500mL over 4 hours, (500 divided by 4 equals 125, so 125 ml/hr). I also use math to estimate my time spent with my patients in the morning (15-20 mins a patient, totaling 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes ), so I can grab my morning cup of coffee!  However, this math is not always correct!

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

We have certain medications that are continuous drips, like heparin or insulin. The pharmacy has calculators for these high risk medications for us to use. We just have to plug in the correct numbers, and we get the new dosing rate. The formulas for these calculations are available on our protocols, so if the calculators are unavailble (which rarely happens), we have the formula to use to get the new dosing rate. These calculators are used to reduce human error on these high risk medications. They are extremely important for safe patient care, ONLY as long as the nurse is plugging in the correct values! That’s why there is always a second nurse verification! Some of the medications (like the Tylenol example) will have the milliliters needed for the dose in the order information, but I like to challenge myself, and calculate the dose myself.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

It makes my patient care more efficient. When I am able to do basic math in my head, I can administer medications faster, especially in an emergent situation where time is everything.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you ?

I feel pretty comfortable with math, but just basic math. The math I use at work has become “second nature,” so I’m able to use it and not really think about it. More complex calculations require good ‘ole paper and pencil!

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

I took geometry, and trigonometry, and I’m guessing Alegbra. I honestly hated math in school, but was fairly good at it. I never wanted to aspire to take calculus or advanced Algebra.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pickup using the skills you learned in school?

In nursing school, we had a pharmacology class, the whole first portion of it was math. We had to pass a math exam to even continue in the class. Everyone was so stressed out about it. We had to hand calculate drip rates, dosages, and do conversions. This math wasn’t foreign to me, as far as proportions and basic alegbra, but it was definitely stressful! Once we learned the “easy” ways to figure these calculations out, it was all good. I had to learn these new ways of solving these problems, it obviously did not come naturally!

Do you have a question for Becca? Send me your question and I will forward it to her.

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