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Mathematics for Nursing Practice Homepage
DISCLAIMER: This content is designed to enhance the study of nursing. This content is generic and is not designed to take into account the specific objectives, needs, and/or circumstances of any particular region or country. To become a nurse, learners must successfully complete a program of study approved by the government or state-regulatory agency in their place of residence. We cannot guarantee that the successful completion of these materials will enable you to practice in your place of residence. Make sure that you are in compliance with the scope of practice of your regulatory body before attempting to put into use or practice any of the knowledge gained.Course Overview
Welcome to Mathematics for Nursing Practice. This course provides an essential foundation in arithmetic, measurement, and applied problem-solving skills used in nursing and healthcare. Learners will strengthen their understanding of core mathematical concepts, from basic operations and fractions to ratios, proportions, and dosage-related calculations, that support safe and accurate clinical decision-making.
Because this is a mathematics-focused course requiring applied problem-solving and practice, it is strongly recommended that the course be facilitated by a lecturer, teacher, or nurse educator. Guided instruction can help reinforce concepts, support learner understanding, and ensure accurate application of mathematical principles in clinical contexts.
The course emphasizes the practical application of mathematical reasoning in nursing contexts, including interpreting medication orders, calculating solution concentrations, performing unit conversions, and applying significant figures in measurements. Through interactive lessons, real-world examples, and guided exercises, learners will gain the confidence and competence needed to perform precise calculations that protect patient safety and enhance care quality.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to connect mathematical principles to nursing tasks, apply calculation methods to clinical scenarios, and build a strong quantitative foundation for future coursework in pharmacology and clinical nursing practice.
Note about Mathematics in Nursing
Mathematics is a vital component of safe nursing practice. Nurses use mathematical reasoning daily, whether calculating infusion rates, determining medication dosages, interpreting lab results, or converting between metric and customary systems. While technology assists in many of these calculations, a nurse’s ability to verify and interpret numerical results remains a critical safeguard against medication and treatment errors.
This course is designed for nursing students and healthcare support professionals seeking to strengthen their math proficiency in preparation for clinical practice. It bridges general arithmetic skills with the specialized quantitative thinking required in healthcare environments.
Course Development
The Mathematics for Nursing Practice course was developed in partnership with Nurses International (N.I.) and NextGenU.org (NGU). Content was created by experienced nurse educators and mathematicians using open-access, evidence-informed resources from OpenStax, Pressbooks, and peer-reviewed educational materials in nursing and allied health sciences.
The course is hosted on the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS), offering a flexible, interactive, and self-paced learning experience suitable for nursing students, healthcare aides, and other allied health trainees.
The course was written and reviewed by the Nurses International faculty in collaboration with the NextGenU.org design team.
Core Writers and Reviewers:
Marco Aurelio Hernandez, BSc, MSc, PhD; Kathleen Capone MS, RN, CNE, EdD.Course Structure
The course includes 6 modules, each containing multiple lessons designed to build competency progressively.
Module 1: Arithmetic Review
Module 2: Significant Digits, Percents, and Ratios
Module 3: Measurements
Module 4: Solutions, Dilution Methods, and Calculations
Module 5: Concentration Measures
Module 6: Further Calculations with Solutions
Each module includes:
Structured lessons with assigned readings
Learner self-assessment quizzes
Step-by-step example problems and practice exercises
Exams
Comprehensive worksheets, along with detailed solutions, are available in the Teacher Resources folder to support facilitated instruction, learner assessment, and classroom use.
Assessment
To successfully complete this course, learners must:
Achieve a minimum score of 80% on quizzes and unit exams.
Complete all assigned activities, problem sets, and case-based exercises before advancing.
Estimated completion time: 10 hours
At the end of the course, a comprehensive final exam (50 multiple-choice questions) will assess mastery of key concepts.
A passing score of 80% is required, with up to two attempts permitted.Upon successful completion, learners will receive a downloadable certificate verifying competency in foundational mathematics for nursing practice.
To obtain a certificate, learners must complete:
All assigned readings and quizzes (≥80%)
All activities and unit exams (≥80%)
The final exam (≥80%, max 2 attempts)
All required self-evaluation and course evaluation forms
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are required.
This course is designed for learners entering nursing or healthcare programs who wish to strengthen their math skills for safe and effective practice.Information for Institutions
NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with:
A link to and a description of the course training
Your grade on the final exam
Your work products (e.g., case study activities) and any other shared materials you authorize
Your evaluations: course and self-assessments
A copy of your certificate of completion
For Nurse Educators
The course teacher resources include a study guide that includes a syllabus, recommended teaching strategies, and a skills directory. Nurse educators may contact info@nursesinternational.org with queries/permission to access faculty resources for this course.
Technical Support
For any technical difficulties or course access questions, please contact support@nextgenu.org for assistance.
Disclaimer
This content is designed to enhance your study; we cannot guarantee that the successful completion of these materials will enable you to work in your place of residence, as regulations vary by location. If you plan to practice using your new knowledge, to ensure safety and compliance with your local laws, you must complete a program of study approved by the government and relevant local regulatory agencies in your place of practice.
NextGenU.org does not directly confer academic degrees or guarantee that learning institutions will accept NextGenU.org coursework for credit.
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Module 1: Arithmetic Review
Topics:- Positive and Negative Numbers
- Addition of Positive Numbers
- Addition of Negative Numbers
- Addition of Both Positive and Negative Numbers
- Subtraction of Two or More Positive Numbers
- Subtraction of Two or More Negative Numbers
- Subtraction of Positive and Negative Numbers
- Multiplication or Division of Positive Numbers
- Multiplication or Division of Negative Numbers
- Rules Concerning Order of Operations
- Fractions and Operations on Fractions
- Introduction to Decimals, Place Value, and Rounding
- Adding and Subtracting Decimals
- Multiplying and Dividing Decimals
- Exponents
- Rules of Exponents
- Scientific Notation
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Module 1: Lesson 1: Operations with Positive and Negative Numbers (Integers)
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Perform basic arithmetic calculations using positive and negative numbers
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 23 minutes.
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Module 1: Lesson 2: Order of Operations
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Use the order of operations to perform multi-step calculations
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 10 minutes.
1 URL - Use the order of operations to perform multi-step calculations
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Module 1: Lesson 3: Fractions Review
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Add and subtract fractions
- Multiply and Divide Fractions
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 34 minutes.
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Module 1: Lesson 4: Decimals Review
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Work with decimals using place value concept
- Round decimal numbers following the rules of rounding
- Add and Subtract Decimals
- Multiply and Divide Decimals
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 23 minutes.
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Module 1: Lesson 5: Exponents and Scientific Notation
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Use exponents and interpret exponential notation
- Evaluate exponential expressions using the rules of exponents
- Write numbers in scientific notation
- Convert between standard and scientific notation
- Add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers in scientific notation
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 53 minutes.
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Module 2: Significant Digits, Percents and Ratios
Topics:- Significant Digits
- Introduction to Percents
- Solving Basic Percent Problems
- Percent Increase, Percent Decrease
- Introduction to Ratio and Rates
- Proportion
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Moduel 2: Lesson 1: Significant Digits
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define significant digits and perform operations with considerations to rules of significant digits
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 20 minutes.
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Module 2: Lesson 2: Percents
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Convert percents to decimals and fractions
- Solve problems with percentages
- General Applications of Percents
- Calculate percent increase or decrease
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour and 7 minutes.
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Module 2: Lesson 3: Ratio, Rates, and Proportion
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Solve Problems of Ratio and Rates
- Solve proportion problems
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 35 minutes.
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Module 3: Measurements
Topics:- Length in the United States Customary System
- Weight in the United States Customary System
- Mass in the United States Customary System
- Length in the Metric System
- Weight in the Metric System
- Mass in the Metric System
- Conversions of Units in the United States Customary System
- Conversions of Units in the Metric System
- Interconversions of units of measurement for length, weight, and mass between the two systems
- The Three Temperature Scales
- Freezing and Boiling points of water in Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin
- Conversions among the temperature Scales
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Module 3: Lesson 1: Measures of Length, Weight, and Mass, and Conversions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- State the units of measurement for length, weight, and mass in the US Customary System
- State the units of measurement for length, weight, and mass in the Metric System
- Convert units of measurement of length, weight, and mass in the US Customary System
- Convert units of measurement of length, weight, and mass in the Metric System
- Convert units of measurement of length, weight, and mass between the US Customary and the metric systems
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 12 minutes.
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Module 3: Lesson 2: Measures of Temperature
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- State the differences between the Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin temperature scales
- Compare and conrast the Freezing and Boiling points of water in Celsius, fahrenheit, and Kelvin
- Convert among the Celsius, fahrenheit, and Kelvin temperature scales
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 10 minutes.
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Module 4: Solutions, Dilution Methods and Calculations
Topics:- Solutions and the components of a solution
- Solutions, Colliods, and Suspensions
- Dilution Terminology
- Simple Dilutions
- Serial Dilutions
- Calculate dilution variations with simple and serial dilutions
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Module 4: Lesson 1: Solutions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define: a solution, a solvent, a solute
- Differentiate between solutions, colliods, and suspensions
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 5 minutes.
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Module 4: Lesson 2: Simple Dilutions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define the terms: sample volume, diluent volume, total volume, dilution ratio, stock solution, concentration
- Describe how a simple dilution is performed
- State the components and the formula for dilutions
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 10 minutes.
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Module 4: Lesson 3: Serial Dilutions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define dilution factor, serial dilution
- Describe how a serial dilution is performed
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 8 minutes.
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Module 4: Lesson 4: Calculations: Simple and Serial Dilutions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Calculate the sample volume or diluent volume needed for a particular dilution
- Calculate the dilution made given the sample volume and the diluent volume
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 12 minutes.
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Module 5: Concentration Measures
Topics:- Concentration - atomic weight, moles, molar mass
- Table of atomic weights of common elements
- Molarity
- Normality
- Molality
- The difference between Molarity and Molality
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Module 5: Lesson 1: Molarity
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define: atomic weight and a mole
- Perform calculations of atoms to moles and molar mass
- Use a table of atomic weights for reference and in calculations
- Define molar, molarity
- Calculate molar concentrations of solutions
- Define normality
- Calculate the normality of a solution
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 1 hour.
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Module 5: Lesson 2: Molality
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define molality
- Calculate molal concentrations of solutions
- Distinguish between molar and molal solutions
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 26 minutes.
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Module 6: Further calculations with Solutions
Topics:- Percent Concentration
- Percent Weight/Volume
- Percent Volume/Volume
- Percent Concentration Calculation
- Worked Problems in Percent Concentration
- Anhydrous and Hydrated Solutions
- Density Calculations
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Module 6: Lesson 1: Percent Solutions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define %ww, %wv, %vv
- Find percent concentrations using weight/volume and volume/vo;ume
- Calculate percent concentration problems with v/v, w/v, and w/w.
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 4 minutes.
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Module 6: Lesson 2: Anhydrous and Hydrated Solutions
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define anhydrous, hydrated
- Calculate the percent of water in a hydrated solution
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 15 minutes.
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Module 6: Lesson 3: Density Calculations
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Define density
- Determine the density of a solution based on its specific gravity
Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 5 minutes.
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Course and Self Evaluation & Certificate
In this section, you can provide feedback about this course to help us make NextGenU.org better. Once evaluations are completed, you will be able to download your certificate of completion.
