As part of a health care team, medical assistants help patients with their health concerns. To be successful in that role, medical assistants must apply key math concepts such as:

• Calculate a medication dosage
• Metric system conversion
• Read a gauge (sphygmomanometer)
• Read a scale (pounds, kilograms)
• Plot and read a graph
• Read measurements using a ruler (millimeters, centimeters, inches, feet)
• Convert from inches to feet and feet to inches
• Count by twos and 10s
• Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Simplify a fraction

All applicants are required to take the Medical Assisting Math Readiness Assessment, which is administered during the program orientation for the upcoming semester. Students who do not score 84% or higher on the assessment are required to visit Wake Tech's Tutoring and Learning Center. They also should complete one of the following Wake Tech Workforce Development courses to help improve their performance: Math Essentials for Healthcare Careers (HRD-3004) or Math for Medical Assistants Review Guide.

Additional assistance can be obtained by visiting Wake Tech's Tutoring and Learning Center, as well as the following math resources:

• Math.com – All types of math instruction
• Help with Fractions
• CoolMath.com – Decimal lessons
• Purple Math – Algebra instruction
• S.O.S. Mathematics – Algebra, trigonometry and calculus instruction
• MathTV.com – Videos of teachers explaining math concepts.
• Khan Academy – Math videos and tutorials.