How not to barf during assessment

augigi, CNS · Sep 17, 2006

What is involved with the assessment?

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Sep 17, 2006

What is involved with the assessment?

Head to toe, everything but breast, genital and rectal exam...

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Sep 17, 2006

I have one tip. Instead of trying to remember Inspect, Auscultate, palpate, for abdomen, just remember

Look,

Listen,

Feel.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Sep 17, 2006

I have one tip. Instead of trying to remember Inspect, Auscultate, palpate, for abdomen, just remember
Look,
Listen,
Feel.

What about percuss? I am lame when it comes to that.:monkeydance:

michar · Sep 17, 2006

Do things in the same order everytime (with room for prioritizing)

Will you be given a scenerio to work off of? Have they given you any sample scenerios?

OnTheRoad · Sep 17, 2006

I have an assessment checkoff on monday and we are not doing head to toe. We are doing skin, nails, and hair, lungs and thorax, cardio. We were told to make note cards to refer to, but not to refer to them unless we need them. Practicing I haven't needed them, but writing it down helped and I wrote down more like look listen and feel with reminders ie: fractile=99 or no air in lungs =carotids. I also noted positional changes to request when needed ie: front back, supine, etc.

If I am remembering correctly you are in 1st nursing classes... try to remember that you are learning, and your instructor should know this. if you screw up at some point, just try to get back on track and if you forgot something and remember it later, just try to insert it smoothly later in the assessment. If you were doing this on a client, rather than a partner you would worry about getting a complete assessment and looking competent more so than the numerical order in which you do things right? just don't say "oh crud (or the expletive of your choice)" when you forget, if you do forget something... work it in like you meant to do it that way and it will probably go a long way in your instructors eyes.

c_loveya · Sep 17, 2006

I was sooo nervous for my head to toe assessment too! So much to remember but just tell your instructor what you see on your partner and you'll likely fly through it in plenty of time.

Best of luck to you. It is very nerve-wracking! :uhoh21:

Love - C

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Sep 17, 2006

What about percuss? I am lame when it comes to that.:monkeydance:

Oh, sorry. I'm in second semester and we learned the percussion last semester. In the hospital, rarely, if at all will anyone percuss.

Anyway, I guess you could say

Look,

Listen,

Tap, and

Feel! :monkeydance:

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Sep 17, 2006

I was sooo nervous for my head to toe assessment too! So much to remember but just tell your instructor what you see on your partner and you'll likely fly through it in plenty of time.
Best of luck to you. It is very nerve-wracking! :uhoh21:
Love - C

What is your avatar?

Sunshine0425 · Sep 17, 2006

We have to do our head to toe in under 12 minutes. :barf02:

Talk about nerves...I'll be so glad when it is over with on Thurs.

Keep us updated and let us know how you did.:wink2:

augigi, CNS · Sep 17, 2006

I agree with keeping it systematic. You should always assess everyone in the same order, and do the same things (allowing for alterations according to what you find).

You are not going to fail the assessment, as long as you are safe and know your stuff. This tyope of thing ONLY gets easier by repetition, repetition, repetition.

Sounds like you are on the right track practising on your mum!