[kessa83]

I have a really hard time identifing my lung sounds. If I know what I am supposed to be listening for I can hear it but if I am doing the initial assessment I can hear that something is abnormal but I can't always distinguish between the sounds. Does anyone have any tips or strategies they care share to help me out?

[sirI]

In this sticky thread (at the top of the CCU forum), there are links to heart and breath sounds. Just filter through these for some helpful tips:

http://allnurses.com/forums/f15/help...it-140706.html

[emtb2rn]

And practice as much as you can. In clinical, be sure to ask if any pts have interesting lung sounds and then listen away.

[CSM08MMS]

My clinical instructor my very first semester of nursing school told me to close my eyes to auscultate different sounds (lungs, heart, ya know the hard ones to hear on adults... especially vented ones). It really works! Practice on friends family etc. My boyfriend got SO TIRED of me doing mock assessments on him and taking his bloodpressure haha.