My Goal is to Gain Knowledge in Mathematics

My major is Biology BS Pre-Medical sciences. My desired area of work-study is Veterinary Medicine. My goal in that career is to attend Medical School and get my masters degree. My math goal for this year is to obtain a 90% or higher and truly gain a general understanding of algebra. This is kind of a high goal to set for myself, but it is something that I believe I can accomplish. Another goal that I have for this year is to be able to achieve an 80% or higher on the final exam! Because mathematics is such a big part of the Veterinary field, basic algebra is much needed in everyday studies. Getting a good grade in this class, and a general understanding of algebra will help me in the future.

Math is a very important aspect when it comes to the Veterinary Field. There are many different ways that Veterinarians or anyone in the Veterinary field use mathematics throughout their day. Receptionist uses mathematics when calculating bills and fees. Veterinary (tech/assistant) use mathematics when calculating estimates, dosages, prescriptions, weight changes or gain, the growth of issues and so on. One of the main usages of math in Veterinary medicine has to do with writing prescriptions. You use basic mathematics to calculate the correct dosage. You have to consider their weight and the strength of the drug (ex. 25mg pill). Also, you have to do the math of how many pills the animal will need to be prescribed. In order to do this, you add up how many Mg he/she needs daily. You would do this by figuring out the mg/lb and comparing that too how much the animal weighs. Another way that math relates to the Veterinary field is conversions, such as Mg to Kg. Whether you are converting or just doing simple math such as adding up medical costs and estimates, mathematics is used in many different ways in the Veterinary field.

One specific example is converting lbs to kgs when prescribing medication. First, you should already have the weight of the patient from the appointment so you will write the weight down. Then you check to see if the drug you are prescribing is by mg/lb or kg/lb. If it is by kgs, you would have to convert the weight of the animal from lbs to kgs. Not all drugs use Kgs, but some do. That will help you determine the dosage for the animal. If you weigh a dog and he/she weighs 50lbs, you would have to convert 50lbs to kgs. You would do 50 lbs divided by 2.205 to get approximately 22.68kgs. Another example is figuring out the dosage the animal should be prescribed. This is typically the role of a Veterinarian, but with permission from the Veterinarian, a Veterinary Technician or Veterinary Assistant may count the pills, and create the label. Let’s say we're prescribing Clavamox, that drug is prescribed by pounds, which means you do not have to convert the weight to kgs. 6.25mg/lb, twice a day. If you have a 50lb dog, your dosage would be, 6.25mg x 50 lbs= 312.5mg.

In 5 years I envision myself attending medical school someplace warm! I would like to get my VMD. I would be using mathematics when it comes to calculating dosages and learning about them! After that, so in about 6-8 years, I see myself working as a Veterinarian at an animal hospital. I would be using mathematics on the daily to prescribe medications, draw up the fluid in shots, calculate weight, changes in the growth of defects, bills, stock, etc. 

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