Numeracy skills of undergraduate entry level nurse, midwife and pharmacy students.
BACKGROUND
The ability of healthcare professionals to perform basic numeracy and therefore dose calculations competently is without question. Research has primarily focused on nurses, and to a lesser extent doctors, ability to perform this function with findings highlighting poor aptitude. Studies involving pharmacists are few but findings are more positive than other healthcare staff.


OBJECTIVE
To determine first year nursing, midwifery and pharmacy students ability to perform basic numeracy calculations.


METHODS
All new undergraduate entrants to nursing, midwifery and pharmacy sat a formative numeracy test within the first two weeks of their first year of study.


RESULTS
Test results showed that pharmacy students significantly outperformed midwifery and nursing students on all questions. In turn midwifery students outperformed nurses, although this did not achieve significance. When looking at each cohorts general attitude towards mathematics, pharmacy students were more positive and confident compared to midwifery and nursing students.


CONCLUSIONS
Pharmacy students expressed greater levels of enjoyment and confidence in performing mathematics and correspondingly showed the greatest proficiency. In contrast nurse, and to a lesser extent midwifery students showed poor performance and low confidence levels.
Practice and Innovation, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom. sharon.arkell@wlv.ac.uk
Sharon
S
Arkell
Paul M
PM
Rutter
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D054796:Drug Dosage Calculations; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics / Q000193:education*; D008880:Midwifery / Q000193:education*; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013339:Students, Pharmacy