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 (TLC). They also should complete Math Essentials for Healthcare Careers (HRD-3004), a Wake Tech Workforce Development course that will help improve their performance. More information about the course will be provided by the Medical Assisting department head.

In additional to the TLC, students can use 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.