Introduction
Welcome to A Guide to Numeracy in Nursing. This workbook was created to help students learn how to make sense of numerical information in health care with the undergraduate nursing student in mind. I chose to publish this workbook with an open license as I strongly believe everyone should have access to tools to help them learn. If you are interested in sharing feedback or additional practice questions I would love to hear from you as your feedback is valuable for improving and expanding future versions.
Acknowledgements
I give my sincere appreciation to the following people for support in creating this workbook:
- Arianna Cheveldave and BCcampus staff for Pressbooks and LaTeX support,
- Alexis Craig for support in editing and creating additional practice questions,
- Gregory Rogers for taking photos,
- Malia Joy for support in photo editing and uploading,
- James Matthew Besa, Kiel Harvey, Michelle Nuttter, Anna Ryan, and Amy Stewart for providing student feedback, and
- Susan Burr, Jocelyn Schroeder, Alyssa Franklin, and Lindsay Hewson for providing peer feedback and copy editing.
Workbook Layout
This workbook is divided into multiple parts, with each part containing chapters related to a particular theme. Several box types have been used to organize information within the chapters. Some chapters may be broken into multiple sections, visible in the online format when the heading title is clicked. Generally, these sections are the lesson, followed by one or more sets of practice questions.
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes will be included at the beginning of the chapter, within a green shaded box.
Sample Exercises
Sample exercises will be included within a purple shaded box.
Practice Sets
Practice sets will be included within a teal shaded box.
Key Takeaways
Key takeaways will be included within an orange shaded box.
Critical Thinking Questions
Critical thinking questions will be included within a red shaded box.
Tips for Working Towards Correct Answers
When completing practice questions you should focus on reading each question carefully and reducing any distractions around you. Check your work after completing questions and try to determine where your mistakes are coming from if you get the wrong answer. Answers to sample exercises and practice questions have steps in solving shown to help you identify where you are making mistakes. You can compare your work to the work shown in the answers. Ask yourself the following questions to help you to understand why you are not getting the right answer:
- Did I understand what the question was asking?
- Did I set up the equation correctly?
- Did I make a mistake when using the calculator or doing mental math?
- Is there a difference between my answer and the provided answer because of the method I used when rounding?
Always check in with your instructor or tutor if you continue to make mistakes.
