The medical field is a very interesting career field. There are hundreds of different jobs in this field, ranging from saving the life of a fragile newborn to prescribing antibiotics to a relatively healthy adult. No two jobs are the same, but each is equally important. Although there are several professional variations of medicine, they all have at least one thing in common. Every profession in the medical field relies heavily on mathematics. Basic mathematics, geometry and algebra are obviously crucial to advancing new technologies, saving lives and curing diseases. However, most people do not realize the importance of mathematics in the simpler tasks performed daily by doctors, nurses, x-ray technicians, pharmacists, and the hundreds of other jobs in this fascinating professional field. Through the use of basic and advanced mathematics, we have made many medical advances that have saved lives and will continue to save lives and perform less complicated medical tasks. Perhaps one of the most used math skills in the medical field is unit conversion. . According to a study based on IMS's Vector One database, in 2011 alone, 3,764,698,318 prescriptions were filled in the United States (SDI Health). In order to prescribe and fill these prescriptions, pharmacists and doctors had to accurately calculate drug dosages. Medications are prescribed using the metric system, often in milligrams per kilogram (Glydon). To determine how much medication to prescribe to a patient, a doctor must first convert their patient's weight in pounds to kilograms. After that, they must carefully calculate the required amount of milligrams per kilogram. Doctors must be able to determine... middle of paper ... without it, we would not have made as much medical progress as we have, and we would not be able to save thousands of lives every day. Works Cited Boyd, J. Lucy. “How do nurses use mathematics in their work?” " Work. Media on demand, and Web. March 26, 2014. .Glydon, Natasha. “Medicine and mathematics”. Math center. Np, and Web. March 26, 2014. .Health, SDI. “Total Number of Prescription Drugs Retailed in Pharmacies” “The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.” State Health Facts. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, nd Web. March 26, 2014. “What tests could be ordered? Penn Orthopedics. Np, and Web. March 26. 2014. .