Respiratory Care Math, A Student Centered Approach is a resource for respiratory students to better navigate the math of our profession. While many people do not consider themselves fans of math in its most basic presentation, in health care it is important to understand what we calculate so that it becomes usable information. Students who might normally just memorize formulas to plug numbers in hopes of getting the right answer on a test will find the math here explained in straightforward, relatable language, easy to apply, and shows solutions along with tips. All these taken together means the student gains a true understanding of the concepts that are foundational to respiratory care. It also instills the confidence that the quantitative data we use everyday as respiratory therapists will be used correctly to assess and make decisions to provide better care for our patients.
If you are a student who wants more math practice, or you need some additional explanations for the math in your program, I hope you find this resource useful. If you have trouble applying respiratory math to real-life scenarios, or you need a little extra help using what you calculate to make decisions, I hope this resource helps you do just that.
This text has been written with an informal conversational tone, so the material and the math hopefully will feel less daunting. I want you to feel like we are going through it together. So let’s get to it!
~ Mike Chaney MS Ed, RRT
