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How much maths is there in the daily life of a vet nurse?

Im 28, and currently in my second year of a level 3 animal management extended diploma and I want to become a vet nurse, hopefully through the apprenticeship route if i can get myself a job in a practice. I got a D in maths GCSE which I tried really hard for, I took it 3 times and that was the best I could do. Maths is a major downfall for me and gives me serious anxiety honestly. Are there any vet nurses who could tell me if I'm just chasing a pipe dream wanting to try and get into this career? Or would you say once you've learned the basic forumlas and you've got your calculator on your phone it gets easier?
(edited 3 months ago)
Original post by GlitterGhuleh
Im 28, and currently in my second year of a level 3 animal management extended diploma and I want to become a vet nurse, hopefully through the apprenticeship route if i can get myself a job in a practice. I got a D in maths GCSE which I tried really hard for, I took it 3 times and that was the best I could do. Maths is a major downfall for me and gives me serious anxiety honestly. Are there any vet nurses who could tell me if I'm just chasing a pipe dream wanting to try and get into this career? Or would you say once you've learned the basic forumlas and you've got your calculator on your phone it gets easier?

I'm not a vet nurse, but I'm hoping to become one. I've done a month and a bit of work experience at a vet clinic and the only maths I saw the nurses doing was calculating drug doses. It's very straightforward, and with a bit of practice you can do it in no time. You'll always have a calculator and another nurse has to check the calculation to make sure it's right, so I'm sure that day-to-day work with maths won't be an issue for you.

However, first you need to get into nurse college and for that they need Maths and English. Every college will have different requirements so I would check your local one or the one you want to apply to and see if you meet the grade.
I'm sure you'll be fine, most of them have a low grade if I'm remembering correctly.

Good luck!
Reply 2
Original post by pumpkin1308
I'm not a vet nurse, but I'm hoping to become one. I've done a month and a bit of work experience at a vet clinic and the only maths I saw the nurses doing was calculating drug doses. It's very straightforward, and with a bit of practice you can do it in no time. You'll always have a calculator and another nurse has to check the calculation to make sure it's right, so I'm sure that day-to-day work with maths won't be an issue for you.

However, first you need to get into nurse college and for that they need Maths and English. Every college will have different requirements so I would check your local one or the one you want to apply to and see if you meet the grade.
I'm sure you'll be fine, most of them have a low grade if I'm remembering correctly.

Good luck!

Thank you for replying! I'm trying to go the appreciteship route but you need to already be employed in a practice first which is what I'm finding difficult lol
Original post by GlitterGhuleh
Thank you for replying! I'm trying to go the appreciteship route but you need to already be employed in a practice first which is what I'm finding difficult lol

Have you tried Medivet? I did my work experience at one of their practices and I thought they were pretty good, I think lots of people don't like them but that probably depends on the individual team at each practice. I do think they have requirements of getting employed though, and they do need a UK drivers' licence, GCSE English and Maths (no grades specified as far as I know). I'm planning to do mine at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada but you need A levels for that which is annoying! They have a 3 year program where you can study remotely for half the year which is why I'm hoping to do that one.

Best of luck finding a job!
I’m an RVN. Grade C in maths is typically the entry requirement, but once you get it, you’ll be fine. A lot of practices use calculation charts I.e 1kg patient has xml. It’s very basic maths even if you have to work out a drug. Example includes: 2mg/kg x 10kg (body weight) divided by 10mg/ml = 2mls. Even fluid calculation are easy to follow. More complicated calculations for spiking fluid bags with drugs can be done by the vet. A lot of vet nurse resource places do flash cards for nurses to carry and you learn the formulas quickly. And as I say a lot of drug tables are usually in practice-made books or on cupboard doors. Don’t let it put you off 🙂

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