Learn the basic unit for each type of measurement commonly used in medicine. The most important measures are volume and weight. Length will also come in handy, as will temperature. Volume is measured in liters. Weight is measured in grams. Length is measured in meters. Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius.
Learn the common metric prefixes. "Milli" means one thousandth. So a millimeter is one thousandth of a meter and a milligram is one thousandth of a gram. "Centi" means one hundredth. "Deci" means one tenth. "Deca" means ten times, "hecto" means 100 times and "kilo" means 1000 times. For example, a decaliter is 10 liters, a hectometer is 100 m and a kilogram is 1,000 g.
Practice taking measurements using metric units. The goal is to become comfortable enough working with metric units that you’re not constantly converting them in your head. If you think, “a centimeter is a little less than one half of an inch” each time you measure something in centimeters, you’ll find working in metrics very frustrating. You want it to become natural to think in terms of centimeters and other metric units.
Work with the different measures in all facets of your life. The more measurements you take using metric units, the more familiar and comfortable you will become with the system. Measure common household items in centimeters and meters. Begin weighing out cooking ingredients in grams and liquids in liters and milliliters. Increasing your day-to-day familiarity with metric units will make it easier to prepare prescriptions using grams, administer medications using milliliters, record a patient’s weight in kilograms, and measure a patient’s height using meters, making doing your job in the medical industry easier.