How many of you rely on a calculator today for nursing practice? 

I remember my calculator was a necessity for me each time I was preparing a pediatric medication during my years in direct care. I took care of hospitalized children and each medication was weight based dosing. The calculator, in partnership with my Lexi Comp pediatric dosing guide, were essentials for me. I could not function without those items. I also needed my stethoscope and pen to be an effective nurse. 

While I began my RN journey in 2000, just a decade earlier there were articles published that were investigating whether nurses should be using calculators or not in practice. One article entitled, "Should Nurses Carry Calculators?" (from conference proceedings in 1998), investigated the role of calculators for nursing care delivery. 

The abstract starts with these two sentences, "It has been a widespread tradition of nurse education establishments to forbid the use of hand-held...