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 will be required to complete the non-degree Math for Medical Assistants and Healthcare Professionals (MAT-3713A7) course by the end of the first semester in Medical Assisting.

Students can get the MAT-3713A7 course requirement waived by scoring an 84% or better on the Medical Assisting Math Readiness Assessment, which is given at the program orientation. Students will be provided one opportunity to retest. The retest will be scheduled by the Medical Assisting department head about eight weeks into the first semester.

For assistance with preparing to take the assessment, review the 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.