Barry Schoenborn

No matter what initials you have after your name (RN, CNA, PA, and so on), you can bet you’ll see math on a daily basis if you’re going into (or are already in) a career in the medical field.Grasping some medical math basics — such as how to break down medical dosage problems into steps and use conversion factors — can simplify everyday situations all health care professionals face.

Grasping some technical math basics can simplify everyday situations faced by many professionals and even non-professionals, including having to solve word problems, calculate tips, make change, or match American and metric measurements.Simple steps for solving word problemsWord problems aren’t just on school tests.

When you're preparing to take the PANCE or PANRE, you may feel like you have to know an endless amount of information. How will you ever remember all the details of so many diseases and conditions? Here, you can review some useful mnemonics that will not only help your recall as you prepare for your physician assistant exam but also improve your clinical acumen.

Using real-life math can simplify everyday situations. Math comes in handy every time you take a trip, go shopping, or do projects around the house.Estimating taxes and discounts when shoppingWhen you go shopping, you often encounter discounts and sales offers that change the price of an item. In addition, many states in the United States charge sales tax, and if you’re shopping abroad, you may face a value added tax.

You can use the alphabetic classification system to evaluate melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. This guide helps you determine whether a skin lesion is malignant. The mnemonic is the first five letters of the English alphabet — A, B, C, D, and E. Here are the warning signs: A = asymmetry: If one side of the lesion differs from the other, the lesion is more likely to be malignant.

There are multiple skin conditions you will need to be aware of for the Physician Assistant Exam (PANCE). Although there are several more that should be studied, make sure you familiarize yourself with these basics. Keratosis lesions You need to be aware of two types of keratosis lesions: Actinic keratosis: This skin lesion is caused by excessive exposure to the sun or UV light.

Skin cancer is a common finding that is covered on the Physician Assistant Exam (PANCE), and it’s usually identified by a person’s primary care provider. The four cutaneous malignancies you should know about for the PANCE/PANRE are Kaposi’s sarcoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma. Kaposi’s sarcoma Kaposi’s sarcoma is a purplish maculopapular rash on the extremities and mucous membranes of the body.

Cardiovascular doesn’t refer to just the heart; it also refers to the blood vessels. Guess what! For the Physician Assistant Exam (PANCE), you have to worry about the arteries and veins as well as the heart. The aorta One scenario you never want to miss is the person with a history of uncontrolled hypertension who presents to the emergency room with acute chest pain radiating to the back or with acute abdominal pain radiating to the back.

Word problems aren’t just on school tests. You solve word problems every day in your work or even while you’re just out and about. Don’t worry — these steps make solving word problems easier than you think. Just follow these easy steps to take away the mystery: Read the problem. Begin by reading the problem carefully.