Numeracy in a Health Context (3 Credits) Level 2
This unit helps you build numeracy skills essential for healthcare settings. You will become proficient in applying basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) to positive and negative numbers, fractions, and decimals. Practical problem-solving exercises will involve calculating accurately and efficiently, particularly regarding healthcare scenarios.
You will also learn to handle decimals, fractions, and percentages, including converting between them and applying these skills to measurement-related problems in health contexts. Mental estimation techniques will support you in verifying the accuracy of your calculations.
Finally, you’ll develop competence in using calculators effectively to perform numerical operations and conversions.
Please note that universities will not accept this as an alternative to GCSE or Functional Skills Maths.
If you do not have your level 2 Maths….
Example
Here is an example of the maths you will need to learn for this unit:
Estimation
To estimate calculations you round your numbers to 1 significant figure and then perform the calculation. For example, if you need to calculate 456 x 34
Find the first non-zero digit
In 456, that’s the 4
In 34, that’s the 3
Look at the next digit to the right
For 456, look at the 5 (the second digit)
For 34, look at the 4 (the second digit)
Decide whether to round up or keep the same
If that “next digit” is 5 or more, round the first digit up by 1
If it’s 4 or less, keep the first digit the same
So for 456, the 4 gets rounded up to 5 and for 34, the 3 stays the same
Replace every digit after your first one with zeros (or drop them if you’re in the decimals)
After rounding, any digits to the right become zeros (for whole numbers), or you drop them (for decimals)
So 456 becomes 500 and 34 becomes 30
Now we can do the much easier calculation
500 x 30 = 15,000
Have a try yourself with the quiz below
Quick Mental Estimation Quiz
Round each number to 1 s.f. and multiply or divide to get your estimate: