Overview

In this course, you will learn to solve many of the mathematical problems encountered in the health professions: you'll review procedures for working accurately with fractions, decimals and percents and will apply the correct arithmetic operation in applied problems; you'll learn basic algebra and apply it to solving equations in one variable, manipulating formulas and graphing equations in two variables; you'll learn about scientific notation and logarithms; you'll work with ratio and proportion; you'll learn different measurement systems and perform conversions from one unit of measure to another; and you'll carry out several different types of dosage calculations.

Prerequisites

The following are required for entry into this course:

• one unit of high school math 
• a qualifying score on the math placement test (30 or better on the pre-algebra section of the COMPASS exam)

If you feel you lack any of these, please contact me immediately.

Objectives

If you complete this course and do well, you will be able todiscuss the following topics:

• work accurately with fractions, decimals and percents
• apply the correct arithmetic operation in applied problems
• apply basic algebra to solve equations in one variable, manipulate formulas and graph equations in two variables
• use scientific notation and work with logarithms
• work with ratio and proportion
• work with different measurement systems and perform conversions from one unit of measure to another
• carry out several different types of dosage calculations 

Materials

The required textbook for this course is:

TEXTBOOK

• Mathematics for Health Sciences, Roberts and Michels, Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1982, 0-8185-0478-1

You may also choose to purchase the following optional textbook, which has an excellent approach for doing dosage calculations:

• Nursing Math Simplified ("Math Magic"), Susan Moore, H&H Publishing Company, 0-9432-0277-9

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/

Your final grade will be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass the fiinal exam in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

Exams

There are 2 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

ELI Policies and Procedures

Contacting the Instructor

We are here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : jsamuels@nvcc.edu
Telephone : 703-450-2587

E-mail: sahmadi@nvcc.edu

You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office in Loudoun Campus, Room LR 303

Beginning the Course

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.